“We are thrilled to be welcoming the spectacle that is Luke Jerram’s Museum of the Moon”

This is how an announcement by the “Museum of the Moon” begins on the Internet. We can only agree with this sentence, which refers to an exhibition in Bolton Abbey in England, where it is about an exhibition in Liebfrauen-Überwasser:

We are delighted to be able to present and view Luke Jerram's moon here at the centre of this year's City Advent. That we can see the moon as we have never seen it before, in the words of the English artist Jerram.

His moon is seven meters in diameter and displays 120 dpi detailed NASA images of the lunar surface. At an approximate scale of 1:500,000, each centimeter of the internally illuminated spherical sculpture represents 5 km of the lunar surface. The installation is a fusion of lunar imagery and moonlight. It is complemented by a surround sound composition by Dan Jones.

The moon, in its existence, in its rising and waning, has always fascinated us. It is the celestial body that stabilizes our earth's axis and thus ensures a balanced, life-friendly climate, gives us light by reflecting the light of the sun that has already set for us, transforming its glaring light into a mild, friendly light. In a gentle way, often hidden behind clouds, it determines our life on earth. Without it, this earthly life would not exist.

And why this installation during Advent?

In the German language and thus also in church songs, the moon and moonlight are associated with a feeling of security. In the peace of the evening and in the gentle light of the moonlit night, we sense that there could be such a thing as good powers, whatever we call them. For Christians, this refers to the one who determines our lives in a hidden way. In HIM we are already wonderfully protected. In the end, HIS light and HIS salvation will become visible to all people. In this way, the moon, in its gentleness and reliability, can become a reference to the hope that determines ADVENT.

City Advent also includes places where lights can be lit as a sign of thanks, intercession and hope. When Christ returns, everything will be fine. Christ, as shown in our installation above the sacrificial candles, still bears the wounds and traces of death, but already seems to be striving towards heaven. He has detached himself from the cross and is standing up. According to Christian belief, this rising up, this resurrection, is a cosmic event, something that has changed everything and will change everything forever.

A film is projected at the entrance to the church to provide spiritual inspiration for the installation.

The windows are covered with large banners. This is partly to create a twilight in which the moon can shine its light. Seven banners each have a verse of the song "The moon has risen" by Matthias Claudius printed on them, along with thematically appropriate photos. This song, from the Catholic hymn book and the Protestant hymn book, reflects a long history of Christian piety, which reflects human life, its needs and hopes when looking at the moon. In addition to the aesthetic and scientific aspects, a religious approach is also possible here. KH