Music in the Dark with Dr. Kimberly Dill In-Person
Music in the Dark: An Immersive & Educational Dark Sky Program featuring Environmental Philosopher Dr. Kimberly Dill and musician Kishi Bashi
When prompted to reflect on ‘natural darkness’, what memories or associations do you first draw? Are dark forests brimming with danger, is the nighttime to-be-feared? Or is the darkness imbued with mystery and budding potential, affording safety and stimulating discovery in those brave enough to explore it?
Altogether, natural darkness makes possible a range of wondrous experiences. Under its cloak, awe-inspiring skies peppered with stars become visible, while nocturnal creatures fill the air with their gentle song. Natural darkness is, furthermore, integral for human psychological and physical wellbeing. For example, restful sleep is important for mental health, while our bodies’ internal sleep-wake cycles (“circadian rhythms”) require natural darkness to function well.
Natural darkness is, however, currently under threat. Due to global increases in artificial light at night (ALAN), our nights are growing exponentially brighter. This “light pollution” is deeply detrimental, for it occludes the important opportunities for star gazing that truly dark nights afford, while negatively impacting both human health and the flourishing of those biodiverse (animal, plant, fungal) beings who also need darkness to thrive.
In this two-part event, co-hosted by Kaoru Ishibashi (Kishi Bashi) and Dr. Kimberly Dill, we’ll celebrate the beauty, integrity, and ecological necessity of dark sky conservation and restoration. To begin, Dr. Kimberly Dill will discuss the ecological, psychological, and ethical importance of preserving natural darkness in a short presentation at The Community Library. This portion of the evening will be livestreamed and recorded for later viewing. Click here to watch online.
Once the sun sets, she and Kishi Bashi will then craft an immersive, outdoors musical soundscape at the Sawtooth National Recreation Headquarters, all while cloaked in natural darkness.
Registration is required and is separate for both events. To register for the later evening event at the SNRA, click here.
- Date:
- Wednesday, July 3, 2024
- Time:
- 6:30pm - 7:30pm
- Time Zone:
- Mountain Time - US & Canada (change)
- Location:
- John A. and Carole O. Moran Lecture Hall
- Campus:
- The Community Library
- Audience:
- Adults
- Categories:
- Lectures & Conversations
Dr. Kimberly Dill is an environmental ethicist and Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Santa Clara University. Through her research and teaching, Dr. Dill articulates a series of arguments in favor of biodiversity, wildness, forest, and dark sky conservation. She contributes to the literature in a distinctive way by critically evaluating empirical research conducted in environmental science and psychology, which demonstrates that there are a variety of worrisome psychophysiological harms associated with the loss of biodiversity, wildness, and natural darkness. This practical approach is situated within a broader ethical framework, which emphasises the importance of cultivating reciprocal, flourishing relationships with our more-than-human world. Furthermore, transformative, moral emotions—including (but not limited to) reverence, felt connectedness, awe, and wonder—she posits, motivate us to more fully participate in their successful conservation and regeneration.
