At 7.30pm the Earth began turning at Peterborough Cathedral! Tonight, on the evening of Monday 19th August 2019, the winner of a BBC Radio Cambridgeshire prize draw, Sue from Thorney, had the honour of switching-on the rotation of the Gaia Earth artwork by Luke Jerram.
It’s an incredible sight and a massive seven metres in diameter and again, like The Museum of the Moon, this representation of our planet was created by Luke Jerram by using 120dpi detailed NASA imagery of the earth’s surface. Now it has been switched on, the rotation will take 4 minutes in total which is 360 times faster than our real planet, and gosh does it look amazing overhead.
The installation really does create a sense of the ‘Overview Effect’, it’s a common experience for astronauts when looking down on earth from space. Hopefully, like me, you’ll feel in awe of our wonderful planet, realising just how small we actually are in comparison to the world and gain a sense of responsibility for taking care of the environment. It’s beautiful to see it like this. However, from down here you’ll only be seeing the southern hemisphere so if you want to get a glimpse of the UK you’ll need to do the extra tour up the stairs (at a £2.50 charge) to take your photo from one of the upper balconies. Sorry folks, I didn’t tackle that one for you tonight, I’ll leave that for you to share your photos with us. Just tag them #WeLoveGaia or share on our post.
The theme during the exhibition is all about caring for our fragile planet – As a visitor, you will be able to follow an interactive trail for reflection, take the Cool Food pledge and listen to talks on the theme during Wednesday at One. There will also be a special evening service, On Holy Ground, at 5.30pm on Sundays during the exhibition. Talking to Stuart at PECT the Cool Pledge is all about reducing your carbon footprint simply by reducing the amount of tea or coffee you drink, having one vegetarian meal a week or reducing your waste.. it will be one small footstep in a big wheel.
Unfortunately Luke Jerram could not be here with us tonight and it was introduced by audio and the Very Reverand Chris Dalliston. You just can’t stop looking at it and the most popular photos are olding the earth in your hands.. we also got a rendition from Kev Lawrence on that song.. I’ve got the whole world in my hands….LOL He continued with the countdown for the switching on of the inner lights and rotation.
If you want to see Gaia here are the details: You’ll be able to visit and see this magnificent work of art hanging under the central tower of Peterborough Cathedral until Sunday 15th September. The artwork will be free to view during the day. However, there are numerous evening opening dates when the artwork can be seen with its internal light glowing as dusk falls. The specially made surround sound composition by BAFTA award winning composer Dan Jones will also be played, and on many evenings there will be the opportunity to go ‘Up to the Northern Hemisphere’, climbing the steps to the next level of the Cathedral to take in the stunning view, if you dare!
- Special events during the exhibition’s showing include
- A quiet evening on Sunday 25th August,
- A presentation about the 900 Voices of the River Nene project on Wednesday 28th August
A family-friendly Silent Disco for under the Earth on Saturday 31st August.
#Gaia #Peterborough #WeLovePeterborough #PeterboroughCathedral #LukeJerram #WorldofArt #World #Earth
