Fifty years on from the first moon landing, three Dorset arts festivals will be joining forces this summer to present Dorset Moon.
At its heart is installation artist Luke Jerram’s internationally acclaimed Museum of the Moon. Appearing in Dorset for the first time, this monumental moon sculpture is seven-metres in diameter and created using high-definition NASA imagery of the moon’s surface.
Each centimetre of its surface represents five kilometres of actual moonscape. Internally-lit, this incredible piece is a fusion of lunar visuals, moonlight and surround sound audio, created by Ivor Novello Award and BAFTA-winning composer Dan Jones.
Several of Luke Jerram’s moons are in circulation around the world, but for its two-week Dorset visit it will land in three unique locations that perfectly encapsulate the county’s distinctive blend of coastal, rural and urban landscapes.
In each location, Museum of the Moon will be supported by a programme of events beneath it, curated by Inside Out Dorset, Arts by the Sea and b-side festivals.
Under the Moon will have a different feel in each location and several exciting new cultural experiences have been specially commissioned, some of which can be seen at all three locations.
Others are more site-specific, but one – A Small Dream – will take place with a unique show at each venue. Combining outdoor dance and projection, it is a collaboration between award-winning choreographer Hemabharathy Palani, who will be dancing in person at Bournemouth and Weymouth, and R&D the innovative interdisciplinary studio founded by artists Rachel Davis and Daniel Saul. Their films of Hema dancing will be shown in two locations in Sherborne Abbey.
The other new commissions for Dorset Moon are all very different, from artists at varying stages of their careers, including Dorset-based Ra Zamora’s sound installation Call of the Wild.
When: 28th June – 14th July 2019
Where: Bournemouth, Sherborne and Weymouth
£: Free
More info: dorsetmoon.com