Brocken Spectre

A Brocken spectre is an image projected by the sun onto cloud or mist. It has two components: the spectre, a shadow of the viewer; and the glory, an iridescent spectrum around the viewer’s head. It is an apparition common in mountaineering folklore but a rare experience for even regular walkers. Visually unlike anything else we see, science cannot fully account for the formation of the glory, and a meeting with a Brocken spectre can be charged with awe and significance. Over 2016-17, with the support of Arts Council funding, I developed equipment to generate Brocken spectres. Brocken Spectre was first shown at Rievaulx Abbey in conjunction with English Heritage in April 2017. Nearly 2000 people attended the event over four nights which also included Michael Davis’ Illumaphonium and Silent Voices, a text and sound work created by children of Helmsley Primary School working with writer Tracey Iceton and sound artist Andrew Williams.