Floating Earth

Co-commissioned by Light Night Wigan and Quays Culture, the giant 10m diameter Floating Earth installation aims to create a sense of the Overview Effect, which was first described by author Frank White in 1987. Common features of the experience for astronauts are a feeling of awe for the planet, a profound understanding of the interconnection of all life, and a renewed sense of responsibility for taking care of the environment. Watch this great film about the phenomenon. 

 

Floating Earth also prompts the difficult discussions we all need to have about climate change and what we, as individuals and wider society, can do to make our lifestyles sustainable.  The installation is presented with a surround-sound composition by Dan Jones. 

 

 

Previous Presentations
 KunstFestSpiele Herrenhausen, Hanover, Germany, 16 May – 2 June 2024
European Capital of Culture, Timișoara, Romania, 2023
ArtHouse Jersey, Queen’s Valley Reservoir, Jersey, 2023  
Eurovision Song Contest, Liverpool, UK, 2023
Brescia, Italian Capital of Culture, Italy, 2023
Canary Wharf, London for Winter Lights 2023 
Cultuurcentrum Sint-Niklaas. Belgium 2022
Light Waves, Salford, UK 2021
Light Night Wigan, UK 2021

Public Response 
For me one of the most powerful aspects of Floating Earth was the sense of having a shared experience that we so rarely get these days; with multiple channels siloing information, extreme factionalism and division across all political spectrums: to come together and experience floating earth with so many islanders felt very special.
 
The location of floating made it possible to walk right around the globe which gave visitors the opportunity to reflect more directly on the detail and many observed with surprise, how much of our earth is water, how big Africa is and to experience the relational scale of what we normally see as a flat map skewed with a northern bias. It really captured our hearts. Many thanks for the opportunity to bring it to Jersey, It has had a profound impact.
 

Laura Hudson, Producer ArtHouse Jersey and Curator of No Place Like Home.

Audience Numbers
During its debut presentation in Pennington Flash, Wigan, UK, more than 30,000 people came to visit the artwork over just 6 days. Drawing 100,000 visitors a day to Canary Wharf, London over 1 million visitors finally came to see the artwork during its presentation. In Jersey 30,000 visitors (32% of population) visited Floating Earth when it was presented there.

On Instagram: #FloatingEarth

Press Coverage
BBC News
ITV news 
Ian Visits
Global Times
NWS news – Belgium National News 
Nieuwsblad – Belgium
Waaskrant – Belgium
India Today 
Local ITV News
Guardian
CNN – photo of the day
Financial Times 
The Atlantic – photo of the day
HLN – Belgium. Floating Earth 

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