Luke Jerram: Gaia

Measuring seven metres in diameter, Gaia, a touring artwork by artist Luke Jerram, gives you the opportunity to see our planet floating in three dimensions.

The installation features detailed NASA imagery of the Earth’s surface, creating a sense of the ‘overview effect’: the feeling of awe astronauts have said they feel when viewing Earth from space, sparking a profound understanding of the interconnectedness of all life.

A specially made surround-sound composition by BAFTA award-winning composer Dan Jones is played alongside the sculpture.

Gaia has been presented in more than 30 countries, and this is your chance to see it up close for the first time in the historic surroundings of the Royal Festival Hall, where it is suspended above the stage, allowing you to walk beneath the installation.

In Greek mythology, the goddess Gaia is the personification of the Earth. Jerram’s sculpture is at once visually stunning and an ever-timely prompt to consider our own relationships with the Earth.

Gaia has been created in partnership with the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), Bluedot and the UK Association for Science and Discovery Centres. With supporting partners Culture Liverpool and Liverpool Cathedral. The imagery for the artwork has been compiled from Visible Earth series, NASA.

Since 1997, UK-based artist Luke Jerram has maintained a multidisciplinary practice of sculptures, installations and live arts projects, spanning nearly 1,000 exhibitions worldwide. His work often addresses challenging concepts and planetary health. Major projects like Gaia, Oil Fountain and This Way Forward prompt critical discussions about climate change and sustainability. Based in Bristol, Jerram is also a philanthropist who supports art graduates and schools, formalising his charitable efforts through the establishment of the Jerram Foundation in 2024.