Like a giant mirror ball, the “Earth” or “Gaia” exhibit has arrived at St Colman’s Cathedral in the lovely town of Cobh Ireland. This art installation by Luke Jerram is on a tour, sometimes simultaneously being on different cities (showing on Melbourne, Australia too at the moment), and will be in Cobh until the 26th of June 2022. This is the only stop in Ireland.
Bringing this to my hometown gothic cathedral during the Cork Midsummer Festival is made possible by Garry and Anne Wilson, owner of the Belvelly castle, and Bishop Crean. Viewed like you are seeing earth from the space, this is based from a NASA imagery thas has a very detailed 120 dpi.
In terms of perspective, this artwork, which has a 7 metre diameter, is 1.8 million times smaller than the real Earth and by standing 211m away from it, the public will be able to see the Earth as it appears from the moon. Walking around it gives the viewer a chance to see the planet suspended in three dimensions.
One to take note of, one may experience an “Overview Effect” when in the presence of this magnificent installation, as one is bound to have “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”, as described by astronaut Frank White.
The Gaia exhibit is not solely visual but is sometimes accompanied with music. I heard a choir and musical concert in the acoustic-enriched space of St Colman and it was complimentarily amazing. In closing, i highly highly recommend checking this out whenever this installation is in your city because you are in for an out-of-planet experience.
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