After touring the globe and leaving art lovers in absolute awe with his large scale moon, Luke Jerram’s ‘Floating Earth’ installation known as Gaia is set to get its glow on in Birmingham. Shining and suspended above visitors in Millennium Point’s impressive atrium, the huge installation, which will be on display from February 1 to March 28, and will slowly revolve within the space.
By standing 211m away from the artwork, which is 1.8 million times smaller than the real Earth, visitors will be able to see the Earth as it appears from the moon and from every angle like never before. The sculpture, which is inspired by our relationship with our planet, measures a whopping 10 metres in diameter and is created from 1200dpi detailed NASA imagery of the Earth’s surface.
Alongside high tech NASA imagery, the Gaia installation will also feature a surround-sound musical track by BAFTA award-winning composer Dan Jones, allowing the spellbinding artwork to give visitors to Millennium Point the chance to appreciate the beauty of our planet. The soundtrack helps to create a sense that we are floating like astronauts in space (similar to the ‘overview effect’ that astronauts experience in space), above the earth and watching it turn beneath us and visitors can hear the sounds of the ocean, rainforests and woodlands far below.
The Gaia installation will be accompanied by an exciting public engagement programme, which aims to shine a light on the actions we can all take to help protect the planet. The artwork will also provide a jaw-dropping backdrop to conferences and private bookings, and a full schedule of events which includes yoga sessions and silent discos can be found here.
Millennium Point is an award-winning public building and conference and events venue located in the Eastside of Birmingham city centre, which aims to support STEM-related projects, initiatives, and organisations across the West Midlands. To find out more and register your interest in witnessing the Gaia installation head to Millennium Point’s website here.
Millennium Point, Curzon Street, B4 7XG