Black Drop unfolds in an editing suite as an editor tries to bring structure and understanding to a varied array of material, including footage made on location in Hawaii and Tahiti on the occasion of the most recent transit of Venus, archive material from previous observations and shots of the editing suite itself. The film tells the complex story of the relationship between astronomy, photography and the birth of film and is predicated on the idea that the 2012 event will almost certainly be the last transit to be recorded on celluloid.

Black Drop will be shown at the Radcliffe Observatory in Oxford from 23 February-24 March. The Radcliffe Observatory was built at the suggestion of the astronomer Thomas Hornsby following his observation of the 1769 transit of Venus and Starling’s film engages directly with the uniqueness of this historical site.

For more information on screening times and bookings please email: info@modernartoxford.org.uk or telephone 01865 722733.

Black Drop is commissioned by Modern Art Oxford in association with the University of Oxford and presented with the support of Green Templeton College, Oxford andThe Radcliffe Trust. The film forms part of the inaugural programme of the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter Public Art Strategy.