More than 20,000 Londoners are estimated to have walked through the doors of St John the Baptist Holland Road this month, as it hosted the ‘Museum of the Moon’, the acclaimed touring artwork by UK artist Luke Jerram.
Measuring seven metres in diameter, the moon features 120dpi detailed NASA imagery of the lunar surface. At an approximate scale of 1:500,000, each centimetre of the internally lit spherical sculpture represents 5km of the moon’s surface.
The installation was part of the Kensington + Chelsea Festival and formed part of ‘The Summer of Love’ campaign run by the Kensington + Chelsea Council and the Mayor of London’s ‘Let’s Do London’ campaign.
The installation gained a significant following on social media, drawing new audiences to the church, which is the only one in the Kensington Deanery to be Grade I listed.
The moon remained in place until 30th August. St John’s will then taking part in the Open House London festival on the 4th/5th September, all the time while welcoming its regular congregation to scheduled services.
The Revd Neil Traynor, Associate Vicar, Holland Park Benefice, said:
“It’s been a delight to host the Museum of the Moon as part of the Kensington and Chelsea Festival. We’ve been able to connect with our local community, and also to welcome visitors from across London, the country and from around the world. As an Inclusive Church we’ve been privileged to welcome thousands of people regardless of age, creed, sexuality, gender or nationality, and encourage them to ponder deep mysteries about life, faith and hope.
“We’ve only been able to host this through working in partnership with the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, the K&C festival, Richard Frank, our Archdeacon, and the DAC, and a whole host of volunteers. All of them working together with us on a common purpose has enabled us to host this most remarkable event. Thanks to them for making it happen, and to all the TikTok-ers, Instagram-ers and visitors who have made this such a success.”
To book other events in the Kensington + Chelsea Festival please visit the website