The Covid Diaries 72 – Old Royal Naval College, Gaia

A review of Gaia, a work by Luke Jerram on display at the Painted Hall/Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich. In which contemplating the entire world encourages me to slow down and appreciate the view.

He’s Got The Whole World…

This is a very simple exhibition at its heart. Greenwich’s Painted Hall, part of the Old Royal Naval College, plays host to a scale model of the world. The work of artist Luke Jerram, Gaia uses 120dpi NASA imagery and, at seven metres diameter, is 1.8 million times smaller than the Earth. It rotates fairly quickly so, by lying on one of the benches in the centre of the Hall, you can watch the continents drift by. Visitors comment to each other on the details, the weather, the impressive scale of it all.

In addition to Gaia itself, there is a ‘specially made surround-sound composition by BAFTA award-winning composer Dan Jones’. At times you hear the voices of astronauts who have had this view for real from space. At times voices in different languages layer on top of each other in a Babel-like cacophony. All of these perspectives remind us how impressive it actually is that we all live on this planet together.

That, however, is all there is to it. I told you it was simple! So how long you spend there depends on how much you daydream while looking at the world. Or perhaps on whether you have previously visited the Painted Hall. Let me give you a quick history of the place.

A Potted History Of The Painted Hall

Greenwich has long been the maritime hub of London. This is where the royal dockyards were. Where accurate navigation was made possible by the measurement of longitude. And where Britain had its Royal Hospital for Seamen, later home to its naval college.

The buildings were the work of Christopher Wren and Nicholas Hawksmoor. They are British baroque at its best, and nowhere better exemplified than in the Painted Hall. The Royal Hospital was pretty much an almshouse or retirement home for aged sailors, and the Hall was a dining room/ceremonial space for patrons and paying visitors. Sir James Thornhill executed the paintings over nineteen years to 1726. They are an astute political tribute to British (naval) power and political stability under William and Mary, the instigators of the Hospital.

After the Napoleonic Wars there were fewer veterans to house here. The buildings were repurposed as the Royal Naval College from 1873 to 1997. Today, much of the surrounding area is part of the University of Greenwich campus. The ‘Old Royal Naval College’ as a visitor attraction, however, is cared for by the Greenwich Foundation charity. Despite the grandeur of the buildings it is an unexpectedly impressive site, so is worth a visit with or without Gaia. I came just before Halloween last year for an evening of ghost stories, so there is a good programme of events and activities.

On its own merits: 3/5
Gaia: 3.5/5
Implementing Covid measures: 4/5

Gaia until 1 July 2021

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