“We have five moons simultaneously touring the world now.” This could be a line out of a sci-fi novel but for UK-based artist Luke Jerram, it’s a matter-of-fact statement. Jerram, after all, is the creator of a 21-metre-wide installation called Museum of the Moon, which has been wowing audiences across the globe since its launch in 2016.
“I was recently asked by a seven-year-old girl if I was going to put the moon back afterwards. She thought I had stolen the moon,” chuckles Jerram. For the creator of a moon replica, that is as good as a compliment can get.

Half a million times smaller than the natural satellite in the sky, Jerram’s moon features 120dpi detailed NASA imagery of the lunar surface. And at an approximate scale of 1:500,000, each cm of the installation represents 5km of the moon’s surface. “Bengaluru is the size of one of the small craters on the moon,” he says.

Speaking about what pushed him to create the installation, Jerram, who has been an artist for 20 years, says, “It was an inquiry. In every culture, the moon gets interpreted in different ways, and has its own significance in mythology, stories, music, art and religion. So I thought if I could do it right, it could be a beautiful thing.” While he thought of creating the installation 20 years ago, Museum of the Moon saw the light of day only in 2016.

“When I came up with the idea 20 years ago, I didn’t have the money. There was no NASA imagery because they hadn’t sent the satellite to the moon, and there weren’t printers big enough to make this artwork,” he explains. Years later, after a failed proposal, Jerram’s moon took shape with the help of the UK Space Agency, University of Bristol and The Association for Science and Discovery Centres and a number of festivals, including the Norfolk & Norwich Festival, the Greenwich+Docklands International Festival, Brighton Festival and Lakes Alive. “There are many stakeholders involved in the project. It took six months of getting support from the UK Space agency, universities and festivals, and a bit of money to make it happen,” he says.
An artist who believes in creating art that encourages public interaction, Jerram says ‘his moon’ has elicited reactions from people across geographies. “There’s an element of wonder and amazement. I have seen a young man bringing his girlfriend saying, ‘Let me take you to the moon and back’. Parents tell their kids ‘Yesterday, I stole the moon and I have put it in this arts centre. Come and have a look.’ It is lovely to see so many people smiling,” he signs off.

Since its first exhibition in late 2016, Museum of the Moon has travelled within UK, France, Netherlands, USA, Spain, Italy, Latvia, Dubai and Hong Kong among other countries and in venues as diverse as a swimming pool, an atrium, a dockyard and cathedral. This the first time that the artwork is travelling to India. Hosted by the British Council to launch 70 years of the organization in India, the artwork will travel to Kolkata, Mumbai and Delhi after Bengaluru. Museum of the Moon will be on display at NGMA, Palace Road, on January 31 and February 1 between 6.30pm and 9pm. Entry is free.