January 13, 2023
The Muttart Conservatory is ready to take you out of this world as it presents the internationally-acclaimed Gaia.
Measuring seven metres in diameter, Gaia features detailed NASA imagery of the Earth’s surface. The artwork provides the opportunity to see our planet on this scale, floating in three-dimensions. The exhibit at the Muttart marks its debut in Canada. The artwork has toured internationally since 2018 in Hong Kong, Australia, Europe, United States and at the Natural History Museum in London.
This touring artwork displays the work of acclaimed artist
Luke Jerram, who is known globally for his innovative arts practice and large scale public artworks, including
Museum of the Moon, which was on exhibit at the Muttart in 2018.
“The Muttart Conservatory is honoured to be hosting this amazing exhibit,” said Muttart Conservatory Director, Rhonda Norman. “This artwork creates such a feeling of awe and wonder. It will truly transport our visitors out of this world.”
The Gaia Earth artwork is 1.8 million times smaller than the real Earth and slowly rotates, making one revolution every four minutes. The installation aims to create a profound understanding of the interconnection of all life, and a renewed sense of responsibility for taking care of the environment.
Jerram created Gaia as a sister sculpture to
Museum of the Moon. “For our entire human existence we have been gazing up at the moon and projecting all our hopes, dreams and wishes up there. I wanted to make the artwork seem as authentic and realistic as possible to give the public the opportunity to see how our planet looks from space. For most people, this will be their most intimate, personal and closest encounter they will ever have with the whole of our planet,” he said. “The Gaia Earth artwork was made to communicate a sense of the fragility of our planet. Halfway through the
Earth’s six mass extinction, we urgently need to wake up, and change our behaviour.”
Gaia will be on display daily from
January 14 to February 26, 2023, including Adult-only Wednesday evenings and late hours until 9 p.m. Thursdays. Extended hours on most Friday and Saturday evenings will be offered. Reservations can be booked online at
MoveLearnPlay, and we also continue to accept walk-up guests at the facility. Admission is included with annual
memberships.
To celebrate Gaia, a special event will be held in late January called Illuminature 2.0, an interactive night of house music, custom visuals, live art, and handcrafted cocktails and food by the Muttart cafe. Illuminature 2.0 is for adults only and will be held
Friday, January 27. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $30 per person and are available online at
MoveLearnPlay. Tickets must be purchased in advance.
