Giant planet Earth art to hang in Leicester Cathedral

Marking ‘Earth Day 2021’, Leicester Cathedral announced that it will host artist Luke Jerram's stunning ‘Gaia’ installation next month. You can book to see it here. 

Measuring seven metres in diameter, Gaia features detailed imagery of the Earth’s surface, compiled from NASA’s Visible Earth series. The artwork provides the opportunity to see our planet on this scale, floating in three-dimensions and gradually turning and with a surround-sound experience that includes the voice of Leicester's David Attenborough.

The artist’s ‘Museum of the Moon’ installation was shown in Leicester Cathedral in 2018 and 2019 and is now to be followed his planet Earth version, which will be open to the public (online booking required) from 17 May – 6 June 2021. 

Canon Missioner Rev Karen Rooms from the Cathedral is organising the exhibition and explained why the Cathedral was hosting it saying: "It completely tunes in to our theology and our experience of God and of wonder and of awe, and for Christians we understand that there's something bigger than us, and that sense of awe and wonder about the planet, about the 'life-givingness' that we call God. There is something there about our understanding of who God is and the love for us because of the beauty of our environment. We have this amazing wonderful home; why? So we invite people to think about who we are and why, and something to help us get in touch with being humble and small.

"So there's the spirirtual reasons and I think we are also really concerned about the planet and climate change and we want to invite conversations about that. We've been locked up for a year and we want something people can come in to seen a safe way that will just open our eyes to the world around us again. It's about how asking how you feel. How does this make you feel?" 

A specially made surround sound composition by BAFTA award-winning composer Dan Jones is played alongside the sculpture. A series of seven special events will be staged beneath Gaia including a Dean’s Discussion with Antarctic Explorer Frida Bengtsson.

All the special events are organised around the theme of the seven contintents of the Earth. For this World Continent Series, each event will take inspiration from a different continent so as well as the Antarctica talk there will also be: 

Africa - An Evening with Lela Burbridge - Author. Advocate. Educator. Lela was born and grew up in Uganda. She now lives in England with her husband and children. A woman who has proved no matter how many times life’s struggles knock you down, you have to get up, be resilient and stare back with strength! And through determination have faith and trust God to help you in all things on this journey of life.

Oceania - Didgeridoo workshop for all the family! Learn to play the didgeridoo with Jonathan Cope. Participants get to take their didge home! 

North America - One Night on Broadway - Leicester Youth Theatre perform a selection of hit Broadway musical numbers.

Asia – Film Screening: He Named Me Malala – Documentary shown on the big screen about young Pakistani female activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai.

South America – Film Screening: Rio.

Europe – Classical concert - featuring some of Europe’s best loved composers.  
Members of the public can book to see Gaia or any of the special events on the Leicester Cathedral Eventbrite page from 22 April onwards: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/leicester-cathedral-12927482333

It is hope that the Cathedral will be able to resume worship services open to the public by then. If so, services will continue at the Cathedral at the usual times (free of charge as normal) whilst Gaia is in situ. Information about service times can be found here: https://www.leicestercathedral.org

The installation creates a sense of the Overview Effect, which was first described by author Frank White in 1987. Common features of the experience for astronauts are a feeling of awe for the planet, a profound understanding of the interconnection of all life, and a renewed sense of responsibility for taking care of the environment. You can watch this film about the phenomenon. 

Luke Jerram said: “The artwork also acts as a mirror to major events in society. In light of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the artwork may provide the viewer with a new perspective of our place on the planet; a sense that societies of the Earth are all interconnected and that we have a responsibility toward one another. After the lockdown, there has been a renewed respect for nature.”

He also said he made Gaia to communicate a sense of the fragility of our planet: “Halfway through the Earth’s six mass extinction, we urgently need to wake up, and change our behaviour. Society needs to quickly make the changes necessary to prevent run-away Climate Change,” said Luke.

“The artwork was also made as a sister sculpture, to compare with the Museum of the Moon, which to date has been seen by over three million members of the public in more than 25 countries worldwide.  For our entire human existence we have been gazing up at the moon and projecting all our hopes, dreams and wishes up there. Whereas for the Earth, it was only in 1968 through NASA’s Earthrise photo, that humanity was able to see our planet for the first time, as a blue marble of life, floating in blackness of space.”

Revd Canon Karen Rooms, Canon Missioner at the Cathedral, said: “William Anders’ Apollo 8 ‘Earthrise’ photograph of an Earth rising from the horizon of the moon, taken on Christmas Eve in 1968 was the poster on my teenage bedroom wall. Astronauts tell us how captivating the blue planet is hanging in cold empty space – what a miracle life is in all its abundant forms. I hope we will experience some of that wonder encountering Gaia in the Cathedral.”  

Gaia has been created in partnership with the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), Bluedot and the UK Association for Science and Discovery Centres.

First published on: 22nd April 2021
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