Cathy's Art Diary

Beautiful installation in the Painted Hall at the Old Royal Naval College by Luke Jerram. The work consists of a 7m wide model of Mars based on NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter data. Jerram had previously done similar installations of the Earth and the Moon in the same space and has since done one of the Sun. The planet floats ethereally in the space and has a similar colour palette to the busy painting around it. I think the Earth was my favourite as it is a more familiar image with more features. A commentary board highlights images of the god Mars and of Galileo on the ceiling.   Closed 20 January 2025

Ethereal installation at the Painted Hall of the Royal Naval College by Luke Jerram. The work consists of a large, detailed model of the moon which dominates the Baroque space. As you entered the room it seems to float in the space and looks good from all angles. I did find though that close up you could see the joins in the structure which broke the magic. I saw Jerram’s previous installation in the space of the Earth which I thought worked better. I think it might have been hung higher and the detail was more familiar so you looked less at the mechanics. Closes 5 February 2023  

Surreal installation in the Painted Hall of the Old Royal Naval College by Luke Jerram. I’ve been wanting to see this work, which has travelled around the country for ages, but it seems to have just left various places I’ve visited so I was pleased to see it was going to be near where I live and it was a good excuse to go and see the recently refurbished Painted Hall. This giant, internally lit, scale replica of the earth hung in the hall and is meant to represent the view of the earth from space. It revolves slowly and there were couches set up which people had sunk onto to watch it mesmerised. It was accompanied by a specially commissioned surround-sound composition by Dan Jones. The effect was beautiful, calming and a dazzling blue contrast to the muted colours of the walls and ceiling. As you looked at the hall itself you kept looking back and being surprised to see it hanging there. It felt like it had been captured in the space. A strange bringing of the whole of the outsid...