Walking on the Moon Peterborough Cathedral

After months in lockdown … get ready to walk on the moon at Peterborough Cathedral

Walking on the moon, dancing on the moon and all Safe in Space.

Peterborough Cathedral is inviting visitors to walk on the moon when they take one small step out of lockdown with a new art installation that will map the lunar surface.

The Cathedral is hosting One Small Step by artist Peter Walker. This 36m x 7m artwork uses imagery from NASA to create a representation of the moon surface which will be used to transform large areas of the Cathedral’s north and south transepts.

Canon Tim Alban Jones, Vice Dean of Peterborough, said:

“As we slowly emerge from the restrictions of the global pandemic it’s truly wonderful to have the opportunity to see things from such a different perspective. 

“I hope that this close-up glimpse of somewhere that is normally hundreds of thousands of miles away will help visitors have a sense of the vastness of God’s universe and to think about our place within it.” 

The installation opens on Saturday –  52 years since Neil Armstrong’s famous 1969 Apollo 11 moon landing on 20th July.

The exhibition will be on display at the Cathedral until 31st October and is part of a wide range of lunar-themed events  including ‘astronaut training’ with a teddy bear parachute jump for children and mezzo soprano Gabriella Pineda-Rodrigues’ concert of Songs to the Moon, accompanied by the pianist Kate Wishart.

The Cathedral’s popular silent disco will return and take place with Dancing on the Moon, the Cambridge Science Centre will bring their show, Safe in Space and there will be a series of special services entitled Space for God which will take place on Sunday evenings.

During the October half term the National Space Centre in Leicester will bring their Inflatable Planetarium to give a tour of the sky a night, and there will be also be a chance for families to get together for an evening of entertainment at Meet You at the Moon.

You can find all the details of all the events on the Cathedral website.

The artist, Peter Walker, created One Small Step to mark the  50^th anniversary of the moon landing.

He said:

“This is an artwork designed to let us think about exploration, about possibilities and about how that one small step we might take in our own lives could bring us closer to our own understanding of the vastness and otherness of existence.

“It is an artwork designed for those who wish to examine closely the surface of the moon which we have all looked upon and considered, but it is also designed as a playful space for family adventure.” 

The exhibition is supported by sponsors Henson Crisp Ltd, Independent Financial Advisers and Speed Agency.

Credit: One Small Step by artist Peter Walker shown here in Lichfield Cathedral.