More than 13,000 people visited an exhibition featuring a giant illuminated model of the Earth on display in a Manx church. The Gaia artwork, which is 20ft (6m) in diameter, was on show in the nave at St Thomas' Church in Douglas for three weeks. During its stay, choirs performed underneath the display, and some classes of the Manx Music Festival were held in the space.
Aly Lewin from Net Zero Isle of Man said it had been "a great success story and community event." The installation, which used NASA imagery printed onto fabric, was created by artist Luke Jerram, who said he wanted it to help people have conversations about climate change. It was also accompanied by a special soundtrack, which featured the voices of astronauts and the sound of rockets taking off.
Vicar of St Thomas' Church Reverend Liz Hull said it had been "fantastic welcoming so many people," including around 850 children on school trips who wrote "some really poignant things about the Earth" on a message board. "It’s their heritage we need to protect," she said. A series of climate change cafes were also held, encouraging visitors to make a pledge to commit to living more sustainably. Ms. Lewin said it showed "we all need to come together and do our part to help with climate change, nature loss, and biodiversity loss."
"By each of us playing a small part, we can form a greater collective," she said. Created in partnership with the Natural Environment Research Council, the Manx display was supported by Net Zero Isle of Man, the Isle of Man Arts Council, and energy company Orsted. The artwork has previously been on display around the world, including in Hong Kong, London, Australia, and Jersey.
