Luke Jerram’s spectacular Mars installation will be landing at the Cathedral this October. It is both an impressive artwork and a stark reminder of the lush beauty of the planet on which we live.
I hope that visitors will feel transported to its inhospitable desert wasteland and in comparison, really value our life on Earth.
Luke Jerram
Jerram’s Mars is the third of his astronomy-themed installations, following Gaia and Museum of the Moon. Mars offers an intimate encounter with the Martian surface, where visitors can explore each crater, valley, and volcano in exact detail. While Mars is often portrayed in popular culture as humanity’s ‘Plan B,’ a place to escape from the problems on Earth, Jerram’s installation challenges that notion. With its freezing, toxic, and uninhabitable conditions, Mars reminds us that there is no real substitute for Earth.
As part of our programme of events accompanying the Mars exhibition, we explore the theme of sustainability in various ways. Our Prayer and Spiritual Trail encourages thoughtful reflection on our responsibility to care for Earth. We will also host a Mars Makers Art Workshop on Saturday 26th October, when children (and their enthusiastic adults) will step inside NASA for a special mission to create a spacecraft fit for travelling to Mars using various resources including recycled materials. Under-5s will engage with these same ideas at our storytelling sessions under Mars, exploring space and sustainability with stories and pictures.
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As we approach the Cathedral’s 950th anniversary in 2025, we reflect on centuries of faith, spirituality and community, but also look to the future. The legacy we create today will shape the next 950 years, and a crucial part of that legacy is our duty to care for God’s creation. One of the key projects we are embarking on is to achieve Net Zero carbon by 2030.
Our environmental stewardship goals include reducing fossil fuel consumption, enhancing biodiversity through projects like the wild garden at the Deanery, and providing a space for communities to engage with both nature and environmental issues. Our Parish Energy Advisory Team supports local parishes by developing Net Zero plans, conducting audits, managing projects, and offering small grants to assist churches in delivering carbon reduction initiatives.
We have already made strides in our commitment to sustainability. In 2023, we installed a low energy lighting system, significantly reducing our electricity consumption. We are also working toward the Gold Eco Church Award, having achieved a Bronze award in 2018. This year, our bi-annual Festival of Flowers took a significant step towards sustainability by going foam-free, and unsold flowers were repurposed into confetti through a collaboration with the Confetti Club London or donated to local hospices.
Through meticulous planning and unwavering commitment, we aim to become an environmental flagship for the wider diocese, making a meaningful contribution to safeguarding our planet.
We look forward to welcoming you to explore the awe-inspiring Martian landscape at Luke Jerram’s Mars exhibition and invite you to join the conversation about the future of our Earth. For more details and to plan your visit, click here>>