About

Luke Jerram’s awe-inspiring art installation Gaia is returning in the magnificent Painted Hall at the Old Royal Naval College, along with an exciting series of extended opening hours on Fridays.  This monumental internally-lit sculpture, measuring seven metres in diameter, was created using 120dpi NASA imagery and is an exact scale replica of our planet.

UK artist Jerram aims to instil a sense of the ‘Overview Effect’ that astronauts experience when looking down at Earth from space: feelings of awe for the planet, a profound understanding of the interconnection of all life and a sense of responsibility for taking care of the environment. In light of the Covid-19 pandemic, with the outdoors and nature becoming a haven for so many, Gaia acts as a mirror to society to provide the viewer with a new perspective of our precious planet.

Gaia is 1.8 million times smaller than Earth, with each centimetre of the sculpture representing 18km of the Earth’s surface.  By standing 211 metres away from the slowly rotating artwork, viewers can see the Earth as it appears from the moon while enjoying a specially made surround-sound composition by BAFTA award-winning composer Dan Jones.  The sculpture provides an amazing opportunity for visitors to the Painted Hall to view Earth as it appears from space, floating in three dimensions like a ‘blue marble’.

Book Now >