The Earth comes to Swansea

For almost all of human history, the Earth could only be experienced from its surface.

That changed in 1968, when the Apollo 8 astronauts looked back towards home and captured Earthrise: the Earth appearing above the Moon’s horizon, small and isolated against the darkness of space.

From October 12 to 31, visitors to Swansea Minster will be able to encounter something of that perspective when Luke Jerram’s Gaia is suspended inside the building.

The seven-metre installation uses detailed imagery compiled from NASA’s Visible Earth series, with a specially created surround-sound composition by BAFTA award-winning composer Dan Jones.

The Minster will also host three weeks of cultural, community and religious events around Gaia, ranging from concerts and performances to worship, environmental events, activities for children and opportunities for reflection.

The Rev’d Canon Justin Davies, Rector of Swansea, said the installation would come to the Minster during Creationtide.

“The feast of creation commemorates God’s act of the creation of heaven and earth, all that is seen and unseen,” he said.

“God created out of love, freedom and generosity. So in this Creationtide we offer thanks for the gift of creation, and our very own creation – the gift of life itself.”

The programme will include prayer three times each day, with the entire book of Psalms read over the course of the three weeks.

Gaia as a venue

The use of Gaia as a setting for other events is built into the artwork itself.

“I enjoy presenting artwork in public spaces, as I know the audience will be broad and diverse and the exhibition will be open to everyone,” Jerram said.

“I like the fact that whether Gaia is presented in an art museum, science centre, park, busy street or cathedral, the experience and interpretation of the artwork will change.

“Gaia also acts as a venue, with local hosts creating their own programme of events to take place beneath the artwork. These might include: space or environmentally themed science events; music or performance arts events etc.”

The Earth as seen from space

For Jerram, Gaia also offers a perspective on the Earth which most people will never otherwise experience.

“I wanted to make the artwork seem as authentic and realistic as possible to give the public the opportunity to see how our planet looks from space,” he said.

“For most people, this will be their most intimate, personal and closest encounter they will ever have with the whole of our planet.”

Gaia is 1.8 million times smaller than the real Earth. Each centimetre of its surface represents 18km of the planet and, viewed from 211m away, it appears at the same scale as the Earth would from the Moon.

The work takes its name from Greek mythology, in which Gaia is the personification of the Earth.

It was created as a sister sculpture to Jerram’s Museum of the Moon and draws on the change in perspective which came when humanity was first able to look back at its own planet from space.

“For our entire human existence, we have been gazing up at the moon and projecting all our hopes, dreams and wishes up there,” Jerram said.

“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 the blackness of space.”

The Overview Effect

The installation is intended to create something of the Overview Effect, a term first used by author Frank White in 1987 to describe the experience reported by astronauts looking back at the Earth.

Common features include a feeling of awe for the planet, an understanding of the interconnection of life and a renewed sense of responsibility for the environment.

That environmental message is central to Gaia.

“The Gaia Earth artwork was made to communicate a sense of the fragility of our planet,” Jerram said.

“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.”

It is a theme which has become increasingly prominent in his work.

The artist and his work

Jerram has worked internationally since 1997, creating sculptures, installations and live arts projects, and has had almost 1,000 exhibitions around the world. His recent works including Gaia, Oil Fountain and This Way Forward have used visual communication to draw attention to planetary health.

Among his best-known projects is Museum of the Moon, which has been presented more than 350 times in 40 countries.

The work has toured India with the British Council and appeared at the Commonwealth Games in Australia, Art Basel in Miami and Aarhus during its year as European Capital of Culture. More than two million people visited it when it was presented at the Natural History Museum in London.

Another project, Play Me, I’m Yours, took more than 2,000 street pianos into public spaces during a 12-year tour. It was presented in more than 70 cities and experienced by more than 10 million people.

The use of public space is an important part of Jerram’s work, allowing people who might never deliberately visit an exhibition to encounter it.

Architecture and sound

With Gaia, the surroundings are also part of the installation.

“Gaia is an installation artwork that combines the architecture of the space, the sculpture of the Earth and a surround sound composition,” Jerram said.

“Each venue and host has the opportunity to curate their own Earth and environmentally themed events.

“Like many of my other artworks such as Museum of the Moon, Play Me, I’m Yours and Withdrawn, this work provides opportunities for collaboration and the creative input of others. I enjoy the unexpected outcomes of an artwork, when I leave space for others to be creative.”

At Swansea Minster, the architecture will become part of that experience.

Dan Jones’s composition was created to be heard alongside Gaia rather than simply providing a soundtrack to it.

“The surround sound music connects the sculpture with the space and architecture around it,” Jerram said.

“The sound fills a room and creates an atmosphere and ambience, shaping and guiding interpretation of the sculpture.

“I’ve worked with Dan for over 10 years on various projects and he’s always a pleasure to collaborate with.”

The combination of scale, imagery and sound is intended to give visitors an encounter with the Earth which is both recognisable and unfamiliar.

Jerram hopes it will also leave them thinking about what they have seen.

“I hope visitors to Gaia get to see the Earth as if from space; an incredibly beautiful and precious place,” he said.

“An ecosystem we urgently need to look after – our only home.

“Halfway through the Earth’s six mass extinction, we urgently need to wake up, and change our behaviour. We need to quickly make the changes necessary, to prevent run away Climate Change. There really is no Planet B!”

Gaia was created in partnership with the Natural Environment Research Council, Bluedot and the UK Association for Science and Discovery Centres, with supporting partners Culture Liverpool and Liverpool Cathedral.

It will be at Swansea Minster from October 12 to 31.

The diocese will also be marking Gaia’s stay in Swansea with a series of three features by Wales Eco Church lead Delyth Higgins.