Of Earth and Sky, is a large-scale poetry installation by artist Luke Jerram, that was first commissioned by the Gloucester Culture Trust in 2020. Poetry and text created by the public through workshops and online submission, is curated and installed across dozens of sites across a city forming a temporary sculpture trail for the public to discover. Whilst the landscape affects the interpretation of the text, the text animates and influences the interpretation of the landscape.
In Summer 2021 Of Earth And Sky was presented in Blackburn, Lancashire, as part of the National Festival of Making programme. The artwork appeared in 25 locations, bringing poetry full of inspiration and hope, to the streets, parks and waterways of Blackburn and Darwen.
In Autumn 2021 the artwork was presented in Charlotte, USA for the Charlotte Shout Festival. Watch a film about the project here.
Each presentation of the artwork is slightly different to the next in the way the host programmes and shapes the project. For Gloucester, the poetry and text responded to the city, the climate emergency and the impact that Covid-19 has had on us all. The words were hopeful, embedding a sense of pride and ownership of the area in which the artwork is presented.
Like several of Luke Jerram’s other projects, Of Earth and Sky creates an opportunity for people to express themselves, in order to create a large scale temporary public installation. Check out these great photos taken by the public on Instagram #OfEarthAndSky
Of Earth and Sky has recently been presented in Scunthorpe UK for 20-21Visual Arts Centre. This nice film below shows how over 20 poems were presented in the landscape. Here is a second film also about the presentation in Scunthorpe.
About Luke Jerram
Luke Jerram’s multidisciplinary arts practice involves the creation of sculptures, installations and live arts projects. Living Bristol, but working internationally, Jerram has created a number of extraordinary art projects which have excited and inspired people around the world.