January 11, 2022 12.07 pm This story is over 41 months old

See the earth in floating artwork exhibition at Lincoln museum

See our planet floating in three dimensions

Visitors will be able to explore our planet like never before when a touring art installation of the Earth’s surface, measuring six metres in diameter, arrives at The Collection Museum in Lincoln in March.

The artwork called Gaia was created by Luke Jerram and will be in Lincoln from Saturday, March 5 until Sunday, May 29.

In Greek Mythology, Gaia is the personification of the Earth. The artwork recently featured as the backdrop for COP26 in Glasgow.

For this exhibition, The Collection is asking visitors to ‘Pay-What-You-Decide’ to enable as many people as possible to experience the artwork. Visitors will be able to choose how much to donate for entry, and donations are vital for keeping the museum open to the public.

The internally-lit sphere is 2.1 million times smaller than the real Earth. Gaia was created from 120dpi detailed NASA imagery of the Earth’s surface and each centimetre of the sculpture represents 21km of our planet, which will be floating in three dimensions.

When presented indoors, the Earth artwork slowly revolves. A specifically-made surround sound composition by BAFTA award-winning composer Dan Jones is played alongside the sculpture.

A programme of events and talks will invite visitors to enjoy this artwork in a variety of ways, from late night openings to Earth-lit yoga sessions.

Luke is the same UK artist who brought the moon exhibition to The Collection in 2018 which will also be at Lincoln Cathedral next month.

He said: “I hope visitors to Gaia get to see the Earth as if from space; an incredibly beautiful and precious place. An ecosystem we urgently need to look after – our only home.”

Councillor Lindsey Cawrey, executive member for heritage and culture at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “After the success of The Museum of the Moon, we are so excited to bring Gaia to the county for the first time.

“This new exhibition will allow people to connect with our planet from an innovative perspective. We hope that all our visitors will enjoy this captivating installation and feel a renewed sense of connection with our planet.”