Culture, cosmos, and play
The Skyhorse Carousel is an amusement ride, art installation, and science outreach project celebrating human culture and cosmology from ancient to modern times.
Long before modern astronomy we imagined the heavens as governed by powerful beings, and alongside them the humble beasts who served them to help maintain cosmic order. In many stories, horses traverse the skies each night and day, bearing, guiding, and embodying the Sun, Moon, and stars. You might have seen the fiery steeds of Greek Helios pulling his solar chariot or the shining manes of Skinfaxi and Hrímfaxi who lit up Viking skies. In other stories, different animals play a role, such as Nah’ Gah, the Paiute Bighorn who climbed the tallest mountain to become the North Star, or the Chinese Jade Rabbit who lived with princess Chang’e in the Moon palace. These Sky Stories come from all over the world, some part of ancient myth and others of modern, living traditions, and they provide cultural context that enriches our modern understanding of astronomy. This carousel celebrates these cosmic beasts and the role they play in the mechanics of our universe, creating an experience with aspects of science, art, and play. More than 30 different cultures across the globe are represented.
MEET THE HORSES
In 2024 and again in 2026, the Skyhorse Carousel visited the Burning Man art festival! Art doesn’t need a reason to exist, but from a science outreach perspective this project has been wildly successful—we have given over 8500 rides and regaled our visitors wit hte carousel’s many Sky Stories! Check out our 2024 and 2026 Engagement Reports on the news page for more detail on our experience.
Over the last few years, we have done an incredible amount of work to rehabilitate and repaint this machine, turning it into a thoughtful and rich piece of art. You can follow our journey as we continue this work our Facebook page or Instagram (@skyhorsecarousel). Looking to get involved? Please reach out!
skyhorsecarousel@gmail.com
Bluesky @spacejammie | IG @skyhorsecarousel
