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Luke Jerram's Earth artwork Gaia has green message for Leeds

Michael Jones Gaia by artist Luke JerramMichael Jones
The internally-lit art installation was hung outside at Bluedot festival in 2018

An illuminated planet Earth sculpture will be hung in Leeds city centre to give a "green" message about the planet.

The seven-metre diameter (23ft) suspended globe by Luke Jerram has been to locations around the world, including Hong Kong, London and Taiwan.

Entitled Gaia, it was hung outside for the Bluedot festival 2018.

Leeds Council said Gaia was one of 40 installations planned for Light Night from 14-15 October.

Jerram, who has created artworks about coronavirus and the environment, said he wanted Gaia to provoke thought about the planet.

"Humanity has been staring at the Moon for 200,000 years," he said.

"For 50 years we have only been able to see our planet from space as a blue marble floating in the blackness of space".

Leeds City Council Gaia was shown at the Natural History Museum's Dinosaurs galleryLeeds City Council
Gaia, here shown in the Natural History Museum's Dinosaurs gallery, uses high-tech NASA imagery of the Earth's surface
Discovery Channel Taiwan Gaia displayed in TaipeiDiscovery Channel Taiwan
Gaia on display in Taipei - the globe is 1.8 million times smaller than Earth, with each centimetre describing 18km of the Earth's surface
Leeds City Council Gaia by Luke Jerram at the University of BristolLeeds City Council
Audiences report the artwork makes them feel "captivated", "humbled", "proud" and "awe-inspired", raising questions about how humans treat our planet

Jerram said having his Museum of the Moon hung above water for Light Night 2017 was "like a baptism of fire".

"My rigging team have learnt so much since then about the best ways to install and present these large artworks outdoors in the crazy UK weather," 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."

Luke Jerram Artist Luke JerramLuke Jerram
Artist Luke Jerram said humanity had been staring into space for 200,000 years but had only been able to see our planet for the past 50 years

Leeds Council said this year's Light Night would explore nature and environment.

In previous years up to 80,000 visitors attended the illuminations in the city centre but this year's programme is modified for coronavirus safety measures.

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