A series of etchings by Ian Chamberlain that capture the Lovell Telescope in motion, bridging historic printmaking with the story of modern science! 

The Transmission series (I-V) is based on the Lovell Telescope, a Grade I listed radio telescope that has been detecting radio waves and investigating deep space since 1957. Over the decades it has searched for quasars and pulsars, tracked space probes and even looked for lost spacecraft – its functions evolving while its iconic structure endures.

Recorded in multiple positions, the telescope appears both monumental and capable of movement, reflecting how it continually adapts its purpose while keeping its form. Inspired by 18th and 19th century drawings and prints of telescope design, Chamberlain reinterprets these historical aesthetics through a contemporary practice, using etching to connect past and present.

More than a means of depiction, etching becomes a way of thinking and a bridge between historical knowledge and future discovery, with the telescope standing as a symbol of humanity’s persistent curiosity and desire to know more.

The series has led to Architecture of Enquiry, developed through research in the Royal Astronomical Society archive under the guidance of Archivist Sian Prosser. Using the archive’s drawings, prints and photographs as a foundation, it creates new work based on the Lovell Telescope, the Great Equatorial Telescope at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich and the Observatory Science Centre at Herstmonceux.

See the etchings up close during your visit, on display in the First Light Café!

About Ian Chamberlain

He is a Senior Lecturer on MA Fine Art Printmaking and researcher at The University of the West of England. Having exhibited widely nationally and internationally, he received the Flourish Printmaking Award n 2024. His work is held in several National Collections including:  The Victoria and Albert Museum, London; Tate Modern, London; Bristol Museum; Royal West of England Academy, Bristol; Pallant House Gallery, Chichester; The University of Chichester collection and Chippenham Museum