FULL MOON FEVER
Illuminated, inflatable lunar sculpture and festival coming to ODU this weekend
Ready to dance in the moonlight this weekend?
The Barry Art Museum at Old Dominion University is hosting a threeday “Museum of the Moon” festival on 43rd Street starting today. The street will be shut down, blue lights lining its sidewalks and music blaring through surround sound speakers.
Suspended 10 feet above the ground, nestled between the Ted Constant Convocation Center and a parking garage, will be an inflatable moon sculpture by British artist Luke Jerram. The piece has mesmerized audiences in over 30 countries, including the United Kingdom, France and Australia.
The moon sculpture measures 23 feet in diameter and was created using a high-definition image from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The moon will be lit from dusk to dawn.
Charlotte Potter Kasic, the museum’s interim executive director, wouldn’t go into detail about how the moon is set up, but it was installed Thursday.
“There’ll be some pretty incredible reflections,” she said. “You’re seeing it from every direction.”
The moon is the star of a street festival-exhibition hybrid. Music will play from award-winning composer Dan Jones and there will be food trucks, a beer tent, lectures, STEM activities, telescopes, performances by ODU Dance and Native dance troupe Red Crook-ed Sky and performances by Beach Floyd, a Pink Floyd tribute band.
Jerram is known for his large public art pieces, including a street piano series where he and his team installed pianos in over 65 cities. Each piano bears the
phrase “Play Me, I’m Yours,” inviting locals to indulge their love of music.
“Some of the art projects I make are quite fun,” Jerram said during a 2015 episode of “Brilliant Ideas,” presented by Bloomberg and Hyundai. “Some of my art projects involve science and engineering and perception, and others involve music and an interest in sound, and a sort of playful public engagement aspect as well.”
He works with specialists to create his pieces, including engineers and glassblowers.
The Barry will have five additional indoor exhibits including “Waxing & Waning: A Companion Exhibition to the Museum of the Moon.” There are about 14 pieces in the exhibition, including moon dust specimens and an LED lightbox display of the moon.
The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts will have a traveling exhibit and
Liz Black, ODU associate professor of World Languages & Cultures, will perform on Sunday. Black is one half of Serious Black, a band that blends English, Scottish, Irish and American folk influences.
Norfolk entered the moon’s orbit when Jerram gave a lecture at ODU last fall. The museum’s founders reached out to Kasic about bringing the exhibition to the area.
“We all were thinking about how this past year, it’s been so hard for so many people,” Kasic said. “We just wanted to have a joyful moment outdoors. With the pandemic, people can always come inside and enjoy art. We want to make sure it’s going to be safe for everybody, that it was going to
be accessible to everyone and give us an opportunity to partner with some of our more engineering and science-based initiatives across campus.”
The festival runs through Sunday. The indoor exhibitions run through Dec. 1.
Kasic said it’s best to arrive early to snag a parking spot or consider ridesharing or biking. The museum is still new — only about three years old — so the festival is a stellar way to get people to visit, she said.
“Most of the people coming probably have never been here or even heard of us before,” she said. “We’re just really excited to have the opportunity to get people here.”
If you go
When: 5 to 9 p.m. today through Sunday
Where: Barry Art Museum, 1075 W. 43rd St, Norfolk Tickets: Free. Free parking available on 41st Street. Details: 757-683-6200, www.tinyurl.com/ MoonMuseumNorfolk, www.tinyurl.com/ WaxingWaningNorfolk or barryartmuseum@odu.edu