Gaia
Arts, Culture, and Creativity
2023
Gaia is a touring artwork by artist Luke Jerram. Created from 120dpi detailed National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) imagery of the earth's surface, compiled from the Visible Earth series, the artwork provides the opportunity to see our planet floating in a three-dimensional form. The installation creates a sense of the Overview Effect. First described by author Frank White in 1987, this effect is the cognitive shift that results when viewing the earth from space, an experience that profoundly affects space travelers' worldviews—their perceptions of themselves, our planet, and our understanding of the future.
Client:
The Media Majlis
Services:
Concept, Curation, Project Management
Credits:
Luke Jerram
The Media Majlis
Northwestern Qatar
Image credits:
Christophe Viseux
In Greek mythology, Gaia is the personification of the earth. Meta is a Greek prefix that means: beyond. The verse is apheresis of the universe. Metaverse can be loosely translted into meaning: beyond the universe. Currently, the metaverse is not a widely understood or appreciated the concept. How organizations are currently using the metaverse environment is shallow; therefore, audiences are unsure where they fit in this new media evolution.
The fall 2023 exhibition at The Media Majlis at Northwestern University in Qatar, curated by Jack Thomas Taylor, explores how the metaverse is shaping, changing and evolving how we communicate. The exhibition unravels a story that encourages an appreciation of what the metaverse can bring to people’s lives through the themes of Now, New and Always. It provides provocations of where you stand in this new media era, debunks some myths, and encourages audiences to make choices. To build confidence in this new dimension to communication, the curatorial approach aimed to create an experience that is welcoming, accessible and relaxed while fun and entertaining, and educational.
The artwork became a venue where various programs and classes could take place beneath the artwork. Collectively, it provided a meeting point, a backdrop, and a conversation starter. Gaia allowed The Media Majlis to be more integrated within the Northwestern Qatar community, and allowed Northwestern Qatar to be more integrated within Education City and the larger Qatar Foundation ecosystem.