''Museum of the Moon'' is a 2016 inflatable

installation art Installation art is an artistic genre of three-dimensional works that are often site-specific and designed to transform the perception of a space. Generally, the term is applied to interior spaces, whereas exterior interventions are often called ...

work by

Luke Jerram Luke Jerram (born 1974) is a British installation artist. He creates sculptures, large installations, and live arts projects. He is currently a visiting fellow at the Faculty of Health and Applied Sciences, University of the West of England, B ...

. It is a spherical model of the

Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...

, with a diameter of . Several copies tour the world for temporary exhibitions, often accompanied by music. There are also copies in museums in Barcelona and Sydney. Jerram was inspired to create an artwork of the Moon after observing the wide

tidal range Tidal range is the difference in height between high tide and low tide. Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by gravitational forces exerted by the Moon and Sun and the rotation of Earth. Tidal range depends on time and location. ...

of a local waterway when he lived in Bristol. The

helium balloon A gas balloon is a balloon that rises and floats in the air because it is filled with a gas lighter than air (such as helium or hydrogen). When not in flight, it is tethered to prevent it from flying away and is sealed at the bottom to prevent t ...

was made by

Cameron Balloons Cameron Balloons is a company established in 1971 in Bristol, England, by Don Cameron to manufacture hot air balloons. Cameron had previously, with others, constructed ten hot air balloons under the name Omega. Production was in the basemen ...

, initially funded by the UK Association of Science and Discovery Centres and the

UK Space Agency The United Kingdom Space Agency (UKSA) is an executive agency of the Government of the United Kingdom, responsible for the United Kingdom's civil space programme. It was established on 1 April 2010 to replace the British National Space Centre ...

, using

ripstop __NOTOC__ Ripstop fabrics are woven fabrics, often made of nylon, using a reinforcing technique that makes them more resistant to tearing and ripping. During weaving, stronger (and often thicker) reinforcement yarns are interwoven at regular inte ...

material coated with urethane. The surface of the sphere is decorated with 120

dpi A Daytona Prototype International (DPi) was a type of sports prototype racing car developed specifically for the International Motor Sports Association's WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, as their top class of car, acting as a direct replacemen ...

printed imagery of the Moon's surface from

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) is a NASA robotic spacecraft currently orbiting the Moon in an eccentric polar mapping orbit. Data collected by LRO have been described as essential for planning NASA's future human and robotic missions t ...

, stitched together by the Astrogeology Science Centre of the

United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...

, at a scale of about 1:500,000, or to . When installed in a dark place, the sphere is lit internally to create a glowing floating orb. Although the surface of the balloon is smooth, the fine detail of the imagery gives the impression that it is textured. After six months of work, the artwork was first exhibited at the

Bristol International Balloon Fiesta The Bristol International Balloon Fiesta is an annual four day free festival of hot air ballooning in Bristol, England. Teams from the UK and other parts of the world bring their hot air balloons to the site and participate in mass ascents where ...

in June 2016, but high winds caused it to burst within a few minutes. It was quickly repaired and the original balloon and its reproductions have been exhibited many times since. In 2018, Jerram completed a similar spherical artwork of the Earth viewed from space, at a scale of to .

References

''Museum of the Moon''
website
''Museum of the Moon''
UK Association of Science and Discovery Centres
''Museum of the Moon''
lukejerram.com

17 June 2016 * ttp://blogs.nature.com/aviewfromthebridge/2016/07/21/lunar-balloonist/ Lunar balloonist, nature.com, 21 June 2016
Giant moon balloon goes out with a bang
BBC Newsround, 12 August 2016
Kendal's Lakes Alive festival features lunar artwork
BBC News, 28 August 2016
Giant moon hung at University of Bristol hall
BBC News, 19 March 2017
Museum of the Moon comes to Glasgow
BBC News, 29 May 2018
Moon artist Luke Jerram unveils giant Earth sculpture
BBC News, 20 July 2018

External links

Why the Moon, Luke?
BBC Radio 4, 2 January 2018
Why the Moon, Luke?
Seriously…, BBC Radio 4,
''Museum of the Moon''
vimeo.com {{Luke Jerram artworks 2016 works Moon in art Installation art works Installation art works by Luke Jerram

See also

References

External links