Jessica MacMillan

In residence: June - August 2026

Jessica MacMillan (b. 1987, USA) is an artist and amateur astronomer based in Oslo, whose work spans sculpture, installation, 3D animation, and light. Her works investigate astronomy, planetary science, and deep time through ordinary found objects and optical instruments, creating objects and experiences that connect our everyday lives with the vast cosmic scales that surround us.

MacMillan has exhibited throughout Norway and internationally, including at the Hamburg Planetarium, Solobservatoriet (Harestua Solar Observatory), Kyoto Art Center, MUNCH, K4 galleri, BOA Oslo, Kunstnernes Hus, Kunsthal Charlottenborg, among others. MacMillan has also previously held residencies at the Kyoto Art Center, Japan; ÖRES, Finland; Ny-Ålesund Research Station, Svalbard; and Skaftfell Center for Visual Art, Iceland.

MacMillan is returning to Artica Svalbard for a second residency, following her first stay in 2021 which was supported through a nomination by the Office for Contemporary Art Norway (OCA). Her first residency focused on her project “Time Line”, which used a high-powered green laser to create a large-scale outdoor light artwork that interacted with the stars during the polar night. 

During her second residency, MacMillan will focus on a sculpture project called “Insolations,” where the circular path of the midnight sun will be burned into wooden bowls using spherical glass lenses. Each bowl becomes a record of the motion and strength of the sun, where the angle and length of the burn is unique to the latitude on the globe where it was made. They capture the changing weather, as clouds passing overhead create patterns and pauses in the burned line. “Insolation” is a term defined as the total amount of thermal radiation received from the Sun, meaning that each burn is a singular day's insolation—a drawing created by glass, wood, clouds, and the rays of the sun.

Website:  www.jessicamacmillan.com

This residency is supported by: