Art / luke jerram
The Moon has landed at Bristol Cathedral
Luke Jerram’s Museum of the Moon has opened for public viewing at Bristol Cathedral.
The inflatable orb, which represents the moon to an approximate scale of 1:500,000, was first shown at the Balloon Fiesta in 2016 but burst almost immediately due to poor weather.
It has previously also been shown at Wills Memorial Building and floated in the docks.
is needed now More than ever
Museum of the Moon has since been displayed both inside and outside across the world, including at Glastonbury Festival, Strictly Come Dancing and at Milan’s Piscina Cozzi.
The moon had been due to open in 2020 but its return visit to Bristol had to be cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Speaking about the inspiration behind the Museum of the Moon, the Paintworks-based artist said: “I’ve been living in Bristol for over 20 years and the idea came from cycling over the river every day and noticing the huge tidal variation.
“I had this idea 15 years ago to make this replica moon but back then the data wasn’t available and the printing technology hadn’t been invented – so it’s taken about 15 years to be able to create this artwork.”
He continued: “Sometimes people think it’s real. There’s a little girl who came up to me and said, ‘Will you put the moon back afterwards?’ I thought that was really cute.”
The travelling installation fuses together lunar imagery, moonlight and a surround sound composition by multi-award-winning Bristol-based composer and sound designer, Dan Jones.
All profits from donations to the exhibition will go towards supporting the work of St Mungo’s homelessness charity, an organisation at the forefront of tackling rough sleeping.
Museum of the Moon allows people to see its ‘dark side’ for the first time – photo: Robin Connolly
Throughout August, the exhibition can be visited for free from 10am to 5pm during the week and from 11.30am to 2pm on Sundays.
There is also a calendar of events listed, including some that are paid for or require pre-booking. The programme includes talks, model-making and even a beer and cheese evening.
Main photo: Robin Connolly
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