GRACE WEIR: ‘THE AS-YET UNSEEN’, The Herschel Museum of Astronomy, Bath.
8 September 2026 - 3 January 2027
Grace Weir (solo Exhibition)
The title of the show, The as-yet unseen, is a quote by William Herschel predicting the discovery of the planet Neptune and it forms the starting point for Weir’s exhibition which includes paintings, photographs and films shown throughout the house.
The exhibition considers observation as a form of continuous and highly attuned looking, grounded in the rhythms of domestic life. Weir has made new works for the show, including On the construction of the heavens in which she has transcribed William Herschel’s exquisite and surprisingly accurate drawing mapping the Milky Way, and embroidered it on to antique linen which covers the dining room table; An imperfect account, a drawing scattered with stardust minerals, which highlights the important role William’s sister, Caroline Herschel, played in astronomical research, including the discovery of eight comets; and From Here to (Uranus), a live counter which displays the current distance to Uranus in the Herschel’s 18th-century workshop.
Weir’s work in the show reveals how observation and experimentation shape both scientific discovery and artistic practice. Through the historic objects found in the house and contemporary artworks, visitors are invited to consider new connections between the Herschel family’s work and the ways we record, interpret and understand the world around us. The as-yet unseen asks audiences to reflect on the history of astronomy and the nature of space and time through the lens of contemporary art.