In every culture and country the moon has been an inspiration for music, mythologies and literature, says Luke Jerram. By Ramya Palisetty

Since the dawn of time, humans have been fascinated with the cold orb and that mystique surrounding it hasn’t faded away. It remains a subject of interest for writers to this day. A muse for many, we find its mysteries bewitching us and transporting us to the land of dreams.

Bristol artist Luke Jerram created ripples worldwide with his ideas. One of his projects Play Me, I’m Yours involved setting up a piano at various train stations, for people to play while waiting for their respective trains. 1,850 street pianos were installed as part of 75 presentations that took place in 55 cities across the globe.

Encouraged immensely by his staff members in nine cities and driven by an urge to excite and inspire individuals he works with and works for, Alan Gemmell, director at British Council was part of the installation Museum of the Moon, displaying a 23-feet wide replica of the moon, using the imagery from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera. The moon brings together lunar imagery, light and a sound composition by composer Dan Jones. Designed by Luke Jerram, the 3D installation was conceptualised to evoke the curiosity each one of us has over the moon and space since we were kids.

Celebrating 70 years in India, British council has been inspired by the country, its artists and teachers. The director feels the organisation is as inspired today as it was 70 years ago. With high hopes and optimism, he wants to connect with the younger generation. “I want people to tell us stories we have made together and I feel the things we are doing today will help us build a foundation for the next 70 years.”

The brains behind the artwork, Luke Jerram had this idea to present the moon in all its glory including the dark side of the moon. Ahead of his time, it took him until 2010 to create this masterpiece because it was during this year that NASA launched a space orbiter to collect the images of the natural satellite.

Before gas lamps and electricity, the moon was the only source of light at night, used for navigation. But living in cities illuminated heavily by electricity, individuals have become disconnected to the moon. About 15 years ago, Jerram had an idea to make an art work controlled by the moon and also to make a replica of the moon. “Initially there was no technology available to transpire the concept from paper. I had presented it in Hong Kong and they weren’t keen about the project but I thought I should do it anyway. We got the funding and support from different places. The images collected were then printed on the surface of a balloon. The good thing about this artwork is that when it is in a dark space, it doesn’t look like a balloon, it looks like a moon. People have been wondering if it is made from concrete or fibre glass because it creates an optical illusion, where detail is defined beautifully,” said the artist.

He feels that moon has impacted history, culture and shaped our society. “In every culture and country, the moon has been an inspiration for music, mythologies and literature. The moon gets interpreted in different ways and it is an important aspect for different religions as well. I am collecting those stories and comparing them from one culture to another.”

The audience reactions have been quite surprising from children to adults intrigued by the artwork. “During this tour, we had four people dressed as astronauts in Bengaluru who rode in slow motion to the gallery. They stayed underneath the moon for an hour. Last year, we presented it above a river which saw 30,000 individuals. It was so chaotic that two people fell in the river. But what captivated my attention the most was when a seven year old girl came to me and asked me if I was going to put the moon back afterwards because she thought I had captured the moon from the sky and she was bit worried about who was going to put it back in time before nightfall,” he recalled.

The moon has influenced and shaped the thoughts of the artist which provoked him to do something unexpected. “The moon always faces the same direction and people are unable to see the far side of the moon. This piece of art provides the opportunity to go around and have a look at the far side of the moon and sort of inspect its finer details,” said he.

Alan Gemmell always wanted to do something that hasn’t happened before and to make individuals think about where they are in the world and this project was the perfect platform to achieve that goal.

The success behind the installation of project is the Indian aerial rigging company called Natura. Said Gemmell, “The individuals working for Natura have been the real magicians creating the illusion of suspension of the moon in mid air which requires diligence and real technical mastery.”

The artwork of the moon lives in a one meter cube which is well looked after and easy to carry in a crate. The challenge arises when it is out. “The hardest job is to look after it for 24 hours a day. The team from Natura are constantly checking the flow of wind, the temperature and the rigging equipment to keep it safe and secure.” He felt that the team can be compared to midwives helping in the miracle of birth or doctors looking after a baby with the way they were taking care of the installation.

The director wanted to do something similar to the public spectacle of art at the cultural festival of 2012 London olympics because he was blown away by the presentation. Said he, “Art has the power and the potential to change perspectives.”

With the sole intention to bring people together and have conversations, the museum of moon travelled across the country beginning its journey in Bengaluru and ending it in Delhi. India has an incredible heritage of space science and some of the best scientists have been born in this country. It was a great way to mark the last phase of the India-UK year of culture.

The director aims to be in constant touch with the people of India to understand their hopes and dreams. He is working hard to look and listen to what our country is saying and what can be done in the field of culture and education for the younger generation to progress and succeed in the world.