GAIA exhibit brings new perspective to 'Mother Earth'

When you walk inside Trivitt Memorial Church in Exeter, Ont., it’s hard not to be taken aback by the sheer size and scale of the Earth, unlike what many people have ever seen.

“You walk in the front door, and you’re just sort of greeted with the biggest interpretation of Earth, I think, I’ve ever seen. It’s bigger than a cinema screen or projection, and I really appreciated it. The kids walked in and had that ‘A-ha!’ moment. They were blown away,” said Darryn de Souza, who brought his homeschool class from Perth County to see GAIA.

Measuring 20 feet wide and six metres in diameter, this version of Earth is suspended from the ceiling of Trivitt Memorial Church, spinning to the sounds the astronauts aboard the spacecraft that took the pictures that made this display possible.

“Generally, people say ‘Look at how much water there is. Look how far north Canada is. Look at the size of Africa, as a continent’,” said the man who helped bring the GAIA exhibit to Exeter, John Miller.

GAIA, named after the Greek Goddess of Earth, mother of all life, is the centrepiece of the Huron Waves Music Festival this summer. Eight concerts, inspired by GAIA, take place between now and July 3rd. That’s when the inflated balloon leaves Exeter.

GAIA exhibit in Exeter, Ont., is on display until July 3, 2023. (Scott Miller/CTV News London)

“Our theme is, Our Earth, My Responsibility, and we’ve asked all the composers and musicians who are making programs for us if they would interpret the theme, if they would interpret GAIA, through their music and words,” said Miller, who is the executive director of the Huron Waves Music Festival.

Even without the music accompaniment Thursday, the kids who visited absolutely loved seeing Earth like they’ve never seen it before.

“I like the designs in the clouds, how it’s like swirly with the blue water,” said one of the students.

“I like that I could lie down underneath it,” said another young visitor.

“I think it’s amazing. I think it’s cool to walk in and see something so big. They’ve never fathomed [how] Earth can look,” said de Souza.

You learn more about the GAIA exhibit and its place in the Huron Waves Music Festival by following this link.