NICHE WHAT’S ON
The view from above A new gallery is coming to the National Space Centre, exploring how satellite data is vital for managing our relationship with Earth’s air, water and land WORDS BY TOM YOUNG
H
ome Planet, an all-new interactive and spellbinding experience gallery will be open at the National Space Centre in time for Easter. Funded by Severn Trent Community Fund, it’s set to inspire visitors to consider human impact on the environment, and how we can all live in greater harmony with Mother Earth. The concept is highlighted by an installation from local artist Michelle Reader, inspired by the Great Wave of Kanagawa, but made from recycled materials. Boasting an interactive projection floor, you’ll be able to engage with ice, water and sea creatures that respond to your touch. Above this, another big screen reminds you of the various habitats and life-forms on our planet. Another exhibit explores the effects of rising global temperatures, time-lapsed from before the industrial revolution to the present day – a giant thermometer near the audience reacts accordingly to the temperatures displayed at different points in the show. We spoke to Kevin Yates, Head of Exhibition Development at the National Space Centre.
It can help motivate us to embrace the changes that will be necessary to live more harmoniously with our home in space Why was now the right time to introduce this gallery?
We have developed individual exhibits within the Orbiting Earth gallery in previous years, but the generous funding from the Severn Trent Community Fund allowed us to rethink the gallery as a whole. Climate change, along with broader environmental concerns, can be quite complex subjects for people to navigate. So, this was the ideal opportunity to address these topics in a way that is accessible and engaging for all.
What had stood out about Michelle Reader’s previous work that led to her creating the new piece for the gallery?
Whilst the science we get from satellites is vital to helping us manage our relationship with our home planet, we recognise that art often speaks to us on a different level. It can help motivate us to embrace the changes
that will be necessary to live more harmoniously with our home in space. We loved Michelle’s previous work, so once we discussed the project with her, we were convinced she would create an installation that would communicate with visitors in a powerful way.
What’s the main insight that you hope visitors will take away from the new gallery?
We hope visitors will come away from the gallery with a deeper appreciation of the crucial role satellite data plays in understanding the impact human activities have on the environment. But more than that, we hope people will feel empowered, both individually and collectively, to make decisions that protect our precious home planet, for us and all life on Earth. See more interactive Space Centre exhibitions at spacecentre.co.uk/ whats-here NICHE | 101
