Rochester – MARS: War and Peace

Rochester Cathedral gets ready to go interstellar with the arrival of MARS.

Luke Jerram’s Mars: War and Peace is coming to Rochester Cathedral in February.

Measuring seven metres in diameter, the artwork features 120dpi detailed NASA imagery* of the Martian surface. At an approximate scale of 1:1 million, each centimetre of the internally lit spherical sculpture represents 10 kilometres of the surface of Mars.

Mars was named by the ancient Romans for their god of war because its reddish colour was reminiscent of blood. Accompanying the Mars sculpture is a newly created sound composition by BAFTA and Ivor Novello award winning composer Dan Jones which features the sounds of seas, deserts and clips from the NASA missions to Mars, it also incorporates the sounds of distant bombing and people marching as if to war.

The artist, Luke Jerram said:

“Presented with a new soundtrack in the context of a church or cathedral, a space to encourage peaceful contemplation, Mars: War & Peace provides an opportunity for the public to consider the history of human conflict around the world. I hope that visitors will feel transported to the inhospitable desert wasteland of Mars, whilst also reflecting on the realities of war for ordinary communities of people on our planet.” 

Mars: War and Peace will be complemented by a varied programme of events including concerts and family activities including Interstellar, concert by Roger Sayer, the original organist from the Hans Zimmer score to the hit film who was previously Director of Music at Rochester Cathedral.

There’s a concert by Just Floyd who last performed at the Cathedral under Museum of the Moon plus a series of concerts with music by David Bowie, Elton John and 80’s pop classics. Sci-fi fans will be delighted by the Symphonix Orchestra who will perform iconic soundtracks from films including Star Wars and ET. More galactically inspired concerts will be announced soon.

Mars will be free of charge to see during the day, although charges apply for groups and special events.

On selected evenings visitors will be able to experience the artwork in a new light after dark. Details of opening times can be found on Rochester Cathedral’s website.

Mars: War and Peace will be at Rochester Cathedral from the 11 Feb – 8  March. www.rochestercathedral.org/mars

Photo Credit – Dave Parry, Press Association, Mars at the Kensington and Chelsea Festival in 2023