Having anticipated the arrival of Luke Jerram’s art installation, Gaia, I was excited to jump on the train at Newcastle for the short trip to Durham cathedral.

As I made my way up the winding streets of the city, passing tourists, students and locals alike, I realised I may have made a bit of an error. I should have arrived earlier as it was getting pretty busy. It’s a rookie mistake on my part to be fair.

But nothing was going to get in the way of me and this epic 7m diameter globe! Made up from images from Nasa, the globe is illuminated and rotates, whilst a musical score by composer Dan Jones plays almost hauntingly in the background.

As soon as you walk into the cathedral you get a glimpse of it through the columns, a hint of what is yet to come as you make for the central nave. And there it is, a glorious spectacle that makes you just want to sit down and stare at the world turning before you.

As humans, we are so infinitesimal. We don’t realise it. But we are. Maybe it’s a good thing to be reminded of that fact every now and again as we carousel our way through our lives.

I also came to the realisation that my geography is somewhat shocking, especially for someone who has travelled a lot. Why did I not realise that the earth is 71% water. How (literally on Earth) did this fact pass me by? It’s when I was sat, gazing at our planet, that it span past South America and then a huge swathe of just blue. I mean, I just googled the Pacific Ocean, that bad boy is 165.2 million km2, how did I seem to miss this? So it was quite the learning experience for me too,

One of the things I loved whilst I was there, was watching the interaction of the people. Friends and families, young and old strolling under and around the world, many stopping to take the obligatory “look I’m holding up the world” pose, which was highly amusing for me. There were so many people just standing there with their arms in the air as they were directed to move left, right, forward, back, by exasperated kids and grandkids, in the hope of the perfect picture. Unaware, that the perfect picture was already there, without the need for anyone else to be in it.

But, there is also something that tugs at the heart when you actually take a moment and really look. As I watch the world spinning in all its glory, the simplicity of it, a perfect entity viewed from afar, knowing that if you take a microscope to it and view what is happening close up, it would certainly shatter that perfect illusion.

So many things happening in the world that make many of us despair. Wars, inequality, climate change to name just a few. People’s lives disappearing in front of a tiny screen as they covet the latest trends or lose themselves down a rabbit hole of social media videos. The materialistic side of human life just isn’t important when viewing the world from afar, it all seems so trivial when faced with the majestic sight of the globe we inhabit.

But of course, there is still so much beauty to be seen. From monolithic mountains, cascading waterfalls, natural wonders of the world that still exist. Flowers blooming in spring time, sun sets and sun rises over the oceans, bird song and trees rustling. Nature, always finding a way.

Well that got deep real quick didn’t it!

But that’s the purpose of art, isn’t it? To elicit an emotional response from those that view it?

Gaia does this.

I wonder how other people felt as they watched the world turning, did they feel the same as I did? I’d love to know what thoughts it triggered for them.

For those who want to venture to Durham, the installation will be in situ until 10th September, it’s well worth the visit. You can get all the details here: Gaia Durham Cathedral