Have you ever wondered why the Moon is often romanticised? Why, we as humans for many generations, have always been mesmerised by its presence?

 

The Museum of the Moon contributes to this sensation by encapsulating its mysterious essence in such condensed areas. This installation created by a UK artist Luke Jerram you will be greeted with a scaled down version of our moon that features a detailed NASA imagery of its lunar surface. This internally illuminated sculpture has an approximate scale of 1:500,000, meaning that every centimetre represents 5 km of the moon's real surface. And although it can just appear to you like a huge inflated ball, the whole point of it all is to gain a new experience of being able to observe and contemplate the many cultural similarities and differences that surround the moon. 

I had been lucky enough to see this firsthand when I went to The Museum of the Moon in the Southwark Cathedral. I had travelled quite a far distance to go see this exhibition, having some difficulty navigating to find the Cathedral but it was all worth it once I was finally greeted with its soft glow. Upon entering through the doors I was able to see a small glimpse of its orb tucked away within the Cathedral's Nave. It was as if the moon itself had been dragged down and encased within the building for us to gaze at. Being able to see the moon up close and in such detail is truly an amazing sight.  But as you observe and study it further, the moon starts to change into something far more than a floating object inside a Cathedral. 

 

The moon has long served as an inspiration to humans; it has been interpreted as both a planet and a goddess, it has served as a light source to help with our nighttime navigation, a calendar, and a timekeeper. The moon has even been able to inspire writers, scientists, musicians, poets, and artists worldwide throughout history. You can even search up the many quotes we have about the moon, whether it is good or bad, it has always been able to connect us all. 

It’s almost hard to look into one's past and not see some sort of relationship with our Moon. Jerran created the Museum of the Moon so then we can also commemorate the same feelings our ancestors had before us whilst also evoking new ones of our own.  He achieves this by combining BAFTA and Ivor Novello award-winning composer Dan Jones' surround sound composition, moonlight, and lunar visuals to create an environment where we may sit or stand and observe it. It does not spin nor does it move. The moon sits there idly above our heads almost close to your reach all whilst your ears are met with melodies like clair de lune. These moon installations do not stay in one place however, there are numerous other locations listed on their website where you can go see this amazing show for yourself though all placed within a time limit. As it travels from place to place, it gathers new musical compositions and an annoying collection of personal responses, stories and mythologies, as well as highlighting any of the latest moon science. For this purpose it will always have a different meaning and interpretations of the artwork will shift depending on where you see the artwork. 

 

 You can tell many people that you’ve seen the moon in the sky, but how often can you tell someone you’ve seen the moon herself up close in person?