“A beautiful building brings beauty to everything that inhabits it. With the Moon hanging here, it’s a chance for people of all ages to pause, look up, and experience something that draws them closer to the mystery of creation.”
Tewkesbury Abbey will be transformed into a celestial stage for the Moon this autumn, as Luke Jerram’s ‘Museum of the Moon’ is being put on display in the nave.
From 16 October to 4 November, a seven-metre-diameter, internally lit lunar sculpture, detailed with NASA imagery and accompanied by a soundscape from composer Dan Jones, will hover from the ceiling. The installation is accompanied by a full programme of events, including concerts, children’s activities, performances, yoga, dancing, and illumination evenings.
The programme also includes opportunities for reflection and spiritual connection, led by members of Tewkesbury Abbey’s ministry team. The Revd Diane Clutterbuck is a member of the Abbey Ministry Team and participates in the everyday worship and devotional life of the Abbey.
She said: “I love looking at the Moon, and this year there has been so much to see – beautiful blue moons, glowing harvest moons, and moments when the Earth’s tilt has made the Moon feel incredibly close.
“Something that really excites me about the Museum of the Moon installation is that we’ll be able to see the far side of the moon, something hidden from us on Earth. When I visited the Southern Hemisphere for the first time, I thought people there saw the other side of the moon because they see different constellations of stars. Of course, that isn’t the case – the Moon doesn’t spin, we do. To glimpse a representation of the far side, a view only ever seen from space, feels full of mystery and wonder. Very few people have seen it.”
On 22 and 24 October, Diane is leading centering prayer sessions beneath the moon installation, practicing silence and contemplation. On some evenings during the installation, there will also be music, meditation, and quiet moments to pause and wonder. Two evening Compline services take place at 7pm on Sunday 19 and 26 October.
“The Sun and the Moon were given equal weight in the stories of creation. In Psalm 8 we read:
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the Moon and the stars that you have established;
what are human beings that you are mindful of them,
mortals that you care for them?
The moon in the nave of the Abbey gives us a chance to reflect on our relationship with the Moon and the place of the Moon in the life of the world,” she said.
There are half-term activities taking place for children and families, including moon-related crafts, storytelling, and Wild Worship Around the Abbey.
“Eco-focused Wild Worship sessions take place outdoors, come rain or shine. There’s no bad weather, only inappropriate clothing.
“We hope the Moon will speak to the spirituality of children as much as adults. Children might learn about the planets and stars at school, but here they’ll have the chance to experience that wonder in a different way. It is very special to get up close to the moon, walk around it, lie on the floor and look up at it, remembering that God made it,” Diane said.
→ View the full Museum of the Moon programme.
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