If the name Luke Jerram sounds at all familiar to you, then you’ve likely heard of or seen one of his enormous artworks. Jerram has achieved international fame for his enormous artworks of planets, the moon, and Earth itself. These have gone on display all around the world, hovering inside churches, within art galleries, and over lakes and forests. And now, his latest piece has arrived in London, in the form of the ‘Mirror Moon’ in Greenwich.
‘Mirror Moon’ is an enormous mirrored sculpture (as you might have guessed) that brings the astronomical object down to Earth. And you can find it right outside the Royal Observatory Greenwich, in the Meridian Courtyard.
The ‘Mirror Moon’
The scale model of the moon spans an impressive 2 metres in diameter. The artwork provides an accurate rendition of the moon’s surface that visitors can pore over and trace with their fingers.
For the model, Jerram used topographical NASA data of the lunar surface. This allowed him to recreate the “craters, valleys, mountains, and smooth lava fields”. And now, the moon has been transported to Earth. It’s travelled “from hundreds of thousands of miles away – to right beneath your fingertips.”
Jerram was inspired to create the piece by the moon’s history as a source of inspiration to cultures throughout time. Additionally, the moon and the observatory have a closely intertwined history. Astronomers in the Royal Observatory Greenwich have observed the Moon for 350 years. And still to this day, they “continue to observe and photograph the Moon.”
Said Liz Avery, Head of Astronomy at the Royal Observatory:
“The Moon has been a source of intrigue and wonder for centuries. We are thrilled to be working with Luke Jerram to unlock some of its mysteries through his Mirror Moon and share them with our visitors.“
Luke Jerram
Luke Jerram’s other artworks include enormous sculptures of the Moon (Museum of the Moon) and Earth (Gaia). Jerram’s work has been featured in over 900 exhibitions, all around the world. His planetary artworks have been displayed suspended in churches and forests, over lakes, and more.
Said Luke Jerram, of ‘Mirror Moon’:
“For more than two decades, the Royal Observatory Greenwich has been inspiration for my work as an artist and so it’s an absolute privilege to be commissioned to create this new sculpture for the Museum and to be part of its story. I hope Mirror Moon will inspire generations of visitors to have an interest in contemporary science, art and the wonder of the night’s sky.”
🌕 Find out more about Luke Jerram’s artworks here.
🎟️ Get tickets for the sculpture and the Royal Observatory Greenwich here.
