Rays of Sunshine at Redruth Playground
A popular adventure playground in Redruth played host to the sun on its walls. A mural has been created thanks to young people from the local area, led by spray paint artist Cosmic. It is part of our Watching The Sun project.
The group met with archaeo-astronomer Carolyn Kennett to understand the cycle of the Sun. She said, “The mural is themed around the eleven-year cycle of the Sun during which it goes from inactive to active and back to inactive again. We’ve just started on a new solar cycle – solar cycle 25.”
About twenty young people made the mural during the Summer of 2020 at Gwealan Tops adventure playground in Redruth. Jasmine, one of the mural painters, said, “Cosmic is teaching us how to use the spray paints properly, but letting us do our own thing as well. It’s really fun. Meeting new friends here has been good too.”
The mural has eleven suns in it, each showing the annual activity of the Sun during its cycle. It has been painted following the direction of the actual Sun in the yard where the mural is. It shows a sunrise and a sunset as well as the state of the solar activity during its eleven-year cycle, according to Cosmic, “The group understood the science, then came up with concept of showing the Sun in that way, including other aspects of the landscape in their area. We have local hills, mine workings and the sea.”
Playground Manager Bridget Handscomb said people don’t always understand the difference between a project at an adventure playground and in a school. “Children can come and go as they please. They will opt in and out and Cosmic has been able to really accommodate that element in his teaching.”
We were particularly excited by the setting here and the enthusiasm of the group for working out how to render in paint a natural phenomenon they had only just learnt about. We were pleased for them too when they were interviewed by BBC Radio Cornwall’s James Churchfield.
You can see more on the mural from the young painters and Cosmic through links to videos here and here and here. A film featuring more fo those involved is through this link.
The group met with archaeo-astronomer Carolyn Kennett to understand the cycle of the Sun. She said, “The mural is themed around the eleven-year cycle of the Sun during which it goes from inactive to active and back to inactive again. We’ve just started on a new solar cycle – solar cycle 25.”
About twenty young people made the mural during the Summer of 2020 at Gwealan Tops adventure playground in Redruth. Jasmine, one of the mural painters, said, “Cosmic is teaching us how to use the spray paints properly, but letting us do our own thing as well. It’s really fun. Meeting new friends here has been good too.”
The mural has eleven suns in it, each showing the annual activity of the Sun during its cycle. It has been painted following the direction of the actual Sun in the yard where the mural is. It shows a sunrise and a sunset as well as the state of the solar activity during its eleven-year cycle, according to Cosmic, “The group understood the science, then came up with concept of showing the Sun in that way, including other aspects of the landscape in their area. We have local hills, mine workings and the sea.”
Playground Manager Bridget Handscomb said people don’t always understand the difference between a project at an adventure playground and in a school. “Children can come and go as they please. They will opt in and out and Cosmic has been able to really accommodate that element in his teaching.”
We were particularly excited by the setting here and the enthusiasm of the group for working out how to render in paint a natural phenomenon they had only just learnt about. We were pleased for them too when they were interviewed by BBC Radio Cornwall’s James Churchfield.
You can see more on the mural from the young painters and Cosmic through links to videos here and here and here. A film featuring more fo those involved is through this link.
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