Museum of the Moon '21
Museum of the Moon by Luke Jerram Grote Kerk Breda. Foto: Ilona Schong
From 11 December 2021 to 30 January 2022, the sun on the medieval wooden panel that closes the oculus – the highest point of the church – was accompanied by Museum of the Moon.
Museum of the Moon is a work of art by British artist Luke Jerram. With a diameter of 7 metres, this moon consists of extremely detailed high-resolution images of the lunar surface taken by NASA. At a scale of 1:500,000, you can see every detail of the moon's surface on the – internally lit – spherical sculpture. The installation is a combination of image, light and sound.
Museum of the Moon by Luke Jerram Grote Kerk Breda. Foto: Fred Ernst
A unique experience
You could sit in one of the lounge areas and listen to the podcast written especially for this occasion. Museum of the Moon was a unique experience for everyone, from young to old. The Grote Kerk Breda not only offered the experience of the artwork, but also organised a varied programme developed specifically around the theme. This included Moon Tours offered by the Sterrenwacht Tivoli observatory, Yoga under the Moon and a Moon Kids Workshop, where children learned how to make a rocket or planetarium. In addition, a very special closing concert was organised: an impressive performance of Canto Ostinato by Wishful Singing that engaged all the senses.
Museum of the Moon and the Grote Kerk Breda
From a historical perspective, Museum of the Moon fits perfectly within the Gothic monumental architectural style of the Grote Kerk Breda. The church's high and light architecture, so characteristic of the Gothic style, was an attempt by humankind to reach towards the heavens. The fascination for the ‘higher’, the sky above us, is eternal. Only in the 20th century did humans succeed in actually landing on the moon. With the advanced imaging techniques that have continued to develop in the 21st century, we now have high-quality images of the moon, which the artist used to create Museum of the Moon.
Museum of the Moon by Luke Jerram Grote Kerk Breda. Foto: Fred Ernst
Podcast and videos
During your visit to the church, in addition to seeing Museum of the Moon, you could watch a film and presentation by the Sterrenwacht Tivoli observatory about the first landing on the moon, there was a podcast written and voiced especially for the occasion by spoken word artists Tommy Ventevogel and Danique Carmen Kivit, and in addition Luke Jerram, the artist who designed Museum of the Moon, talked about his inspiration for the artwork in a short film.
For Museum of the Moon, the Grote Kerk Breda Foundation worked together with Luke Jerram Ltd, KNVWS West-Brabant, Sterrenwacht Tivoli observatory and Filmhuis Breda. The Moon City programme and communication were realised in collaboration with Breda Marketing and Stichting Ondernemersfonds Breda. Museum of the Moon in the Grote Kerk Breda was made possible with the support of the Municipality of Breda and Zeiss B.V.