Kolkatans to reach for the moon on Feb 17, 18

Kolkata: Visitors at the Victoria Memorial Hall (VMH) will be treated to a celestial spectacle with the moon at a distance of only 15 feet from the statue of Queen Victoria near the north gate of the museum. The event, named 'Museum of the Moon' will be held on February 17 and 18.

"It is actually an art installation about science at its very best, which makes it even rarer. It's a completely novel thing to do in the VMH," said Jayanta Sengupta, curator of VMH.

The man who has made this a reality, is UK-based artist Luke Jerram, who is the creator of this 21 metre wide installation called 'Museum of the Moon', that has been wooing audiences across the globe since its launch in late 2016.

It has travelled within UK, France, Netherlands, USA, Spain, Italy, Latvia, Dubai and Hong Kong among other countries and in venues as diverse as a swimming pool, an atrium, a dockyard and a cathedral.

Hosted by the British Council to mark 70 years of the organisation in India, it has been shown in Bengaluru in January and Mumbai in February this year, from where it's coming to Kolkata. The next destination will be Delhi.

It may be mentioned that the art installation is an air-filled balloon replica of the moon that measures seven metres in diameter, equipped with lunar imagery taken by NASA, moonlight and surround sound, to bring the installation closer to reality. Light will emit from the installation, which will light up a major part of the VMH premises.

"The VMH is the most visited museum in India by a long margin and in this season, an average of 25,000-30,000 people visit us each day. Moreover, since the moon will be installed quite close to the north gate, countless people will be able to see it from the outside for those two days (and nights)" Sengupta said.

The VMH is arranging a brief introductory talk by a premier scientist and a musical concert, right under the moon. The concert has been named a 'Tribute to the Moon'. "We are also trying to ensure that people get access to the moon for extended hours in the evenings," Sengupta added.