How to Meet the Moon at OliOli this month (But be quick! You only have 5 Days left to experience the Wow!)

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How to Meet the Moon at OliOli this month (But be quick! You only have 5 Days left to experience the Wow!)

Meet the moon this Eid Holidays UAE with a visit to the Museum of the Moon, a world-famous touring art installation that will be making a whistlestop tour of Dubai, based at children’s play museum OliOli in Al Quoz, Dubai. The breath-taking replica of the moon, created by renowned British artist Luke Jerram, will take over OliOli’s Creative Lab gallery, where families are invited to bask in the wonder of this awe-inspiring exhibit for a limited time of only 15 days!

Meet the moon at OliOli this Eid Al Fitr

Measuring five metres in diameter, the moon features 120dpi detailed NASA image of the lunar surface taken by a NASA satellite carrying the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera. At an approximate scale of 1:500,000, each centimetre of the internally lit spherical sculpture represents 5km of the moon’s surface.The Museum of the Moon is a peripatetic artwork series that has been traversing the globe over the years, presented in a number of different ways both indoors and outdoors in different countries and contexts, so altering the experience and interpretation of the artwork.

The Museum of the Moon will be at OliOli in Dubai for just 15 days over Ramadan and Eid Al Fitr 2023

The installation is a fusion of lunar imagery, moonlight and surround sound composition created by BAFTA- and Ivor-Novello-award-winning composer Dan Jones. As it travels from place to place, it gathers new musical compositions and an ongoing collection of personal responses, stories and mythologies, as well as highlighting the latest moon science. The artist behind the work, Luke Jerram, explains:

“The moon has always inspired humanity, acting as a ‘cultural mirror’ to society, reflecting the ideas and beliefs of all people around the world.”
“Over the centuries, the moon has been interpreted as a god and as a planet. It has been used as a timekeeper, calendar and been a source of light to aid night-time navigation.”
“Throughout history the moon has inspired artists, poets, scientists, writers and musicians the world over. The ethereal blue light cast by a full moon, the delicate crescent following the setting sun, or the mysterious dark side of the moon has evoked passion and exploration.”
“Different cultures around the world have their own historical, cultural, scientific and religious relationships to the moon.”
“And yet somehow, despite these differences, the moon connects us all.”

Jerram says Museum of the Moon was inspired by living in Bristol and noticing the huge tidal variation as he cycled over the Avon Cut each day. His moon research also led to his artwork Tide. In 2019 Luke was made a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Artist Luke Jerram in front of the Museum of the Moon

How to see the Museum of the Moon in Dubai over the Eid Holidays

The Museum of the Moon will be based at children’s play museum OliOli for the rest of Ramadan and over the Eid Holidays.

As well as the Museum of the Moon, OliOli features a series of vast, interactive galleries teeming with creative, STEAM-inspired activities. Access to Museum of the Moon is included in Standard PLUS Tickets starting from Dh149 for 1 Child + 1 Adult, and all Family Pass tickets.

OliOli houses a treasure trove of curiosity-inspiring exhibits

During Ramadan and the Eid Holidays families with two or more children can buy limited edition Family Passes. Prices start from Dh269 for 2 Children and the same number of adults go free, valid from 14th to 30th April. Find out more and book tickets to OliOli here.

Q&A with Artist Luke Jerram about the Museum of the Moon

Where did you get the idea to make an artwork such as Museum of the Moon?

Bristol, where I live in the UK, has the highest tidal range in Europe. There’s a 13 metre gap between high tide and low tide. Cycling to work each day along the river reminded me that it’s the gravitational pull of the Moon that is making this happen. I had the idea to create the Museum of the Moon some 15 years ago, but it was only until very recently that the data for creating the Moon imagery was made available by NASA.

As a child I always wanted a telescope so I could study the Moon and the night’s sky. Now with my own Moon, I can be there, study every detail and share this experience with the public. We can explore the far side of the Moon which is never visible from Earth.

Museum of the Moon in Riga Latvia, photo by Robert Sils

Museum of the Moon is made of really precise lunar imagery from NASA. Can you explain this choice?

I wanted to make the artwork seem as authentic and realistic as possible. For most people, this will be their most intimate, personal and closest encounter they will ever have with the Moon.

Museum of the Moon at Glastonbury Festival in 2019, photo by Lukonic Photography

How have people reacted to Museum of the Moon so far?

It has been wonderful to witness the publics’ response to the artwork. Many people spend hours with the Moon exploring its every detail. Some visitors lie down and moon-bathe.

When the Moon was at the Natural History Museum in London, a man in a suit came up to me in tears. He explained how he was a space scientist from the European Space Agency and had spent his career studying the surface of the moon. I gave him a hug and he left the exhibition a very happy man!

In Leicester one young girl asked “will you put the moon back afterwards?” She thought I’d stolen the real moon! I reassured the young girl that I would definitely return the moon after the exhibition.

In Bristol, we had an unexpected group of visitors who arrived in slow motion to the exhibition, dressed as spacemen!

In Marseille I arranged an arc of deckchairs beneath the Moon. Within minutes, many of the chairs had been grouped into pairs and were occupied by couples holding hands!

At Bristol Cathedral, UK, 2021, photo by Bob Pitchford

Why has the artwork been so well received?

I think one of the reasons the artwork has been well received so far, is that it leaves space for the public to interact with one another and participate in a communal shared experience. The artwork can be accessed and enjoyed by different people at different levels. It can be enjoyed as much by a 4 year old child as by a professional astronomer.

To date over 9 million people have visited the artwork. It often draws massive crowds, many of whom will have never visited a museum or gallery before.

Museum of the Moon is both an installation artwork, as well as a venue for other people to be creative. Hosts programme their own lunar inspired events to take place beneath the Moon. This way the artwork can reflect the culture and community of a venue.

Greenwich Docklands Festival, photo by @edsimmons, @visitgreenwich

Music is also very important for your artwork. How relevant and important is Dan Jones’ composition to your work?

The Museum of the Moon installation is a fusion of lunar imagery, moonlight and surround sound composition. I’ve worked with Dan Jones for over 15 years, commissioning him to create music for a number of my art installations. We both understand the power that music has to paint pictures in our imaginations.

For Museum of the Moon, the surround sound composition helps connect the sculpture of the moon with the surrounding architecture. For me, the music in the space shapes the atmosphere of the experience and guides the interpretation of the artwork.

More information about the artwork can be found here.

See more photos of the Museum of the Moon around the world below…