Original piece for Wild Art 2021

Watercolour and gouache on paper
180mm x 180mm, signed, unframed

Geomagnetic storms are temporary disturbances of the Earth’s magnetosphere caused by bursts of radiation and charged particles emitted from the sun colliding with our planet. The fast-moving electrons in these bursts collide with oxygen and nitrogen molecules in the upper atmosphere to release photons. When enough of these reactions occur, light is emitted in the form of aurora.

Aurora typically occur close to either geomagnetic pole. In the north they are known as Aurora Borealis and can be seen in countries such as Iceland, Russia, Scandinavia, and Canada. In the south, Aurora Australis is visible in southern parts of Australia, New Zealand, Chile, and Argentina.

Without the aid of modern science, it is unsurprising that aurorae appear in the folklore and mythology of indigenous cultures native to areas where the lights could be seen. Inuit tribes considered the aurora to be the spirits of dead ancestors playing a ball game using a walrus skull as a ball. The Finnish word revontulet translates to “fire fox”, as it was believed the lights were caused by a fox running so quickly across the snow that his tail shot sparks up into the night sky. In old Norse mythology, the lights were said to be the Bifröst - the bridge between Åsgard and Midgard. Alternatively, they were also said to be reflections from the shields and armour of the Valkyrie - female angels of death leading fallen warriors to Valhalla.

In the oral traditions of Indigenous Australians, Aurora Australis were commonly associated with fire, blood, and bad omens, as they would often appear red in the sky. The Gunditjmara people of western Victoria named the lights puae buae (ashes). In eastern Victoria, the Gunai people perceived aurorae as bushfires in the spirit world. The Maraura people in western New South Wales believed that aurorae were an omen of disease and plague.