Centre News | 17 August 2026

World-renowned Gaia art installation to land at Trafford Palazzo

Trafford Palazzo hosting Luke Jerram’s Gaia marks the first time the installation has been in a UK retail destination since 2021

9 September - 2 October

Trafford Palazzo, one of the region’s leading experiential shopping and leisure destinations is set to host internationally acclaimed artist Luke Jerram's Gaia, designed to engage thousands of visitors this autumn.

From 9 September until 2 October, visitors can experience the breathtaking seven-metre floating Earth within Trafford Palazzo's iconic architecture, fusing art and immersive entertainment.

Created using the hyper detailed NASA imagery from the Visible Earth series, Gaia recreates the planet in stunning proportional scale. The illuminated earth slowly rotates, whilst accompanied by a bespoke surround-sound composition by the BAFTA Award-winning composer Dan Jones, transporting visitors into a truly immersive art experience.

Each centimetre of the artwork represents approximately 18 kilometres of the Earth's surface and is designed to inspire the "Overview Effect", a profound feeling reported by astronauts when they first see Earth from orbit.

Leandra Dwyer, Asset Manager at Peel Retail & Leisure, said: “We’re thrilled to be hosting Gaia at Trafford Palazzo, adding another world-class experience to our destination. For one month, guests can observe this extraordinary artwork up close surrounded by our iconic Roman-inspired architecture and spectacular glazed dome, highlighting the unique setting we offer for a broad range of immersive events and installations.”

Artist Luke Jerram said: “I’m delighted to bring my Gaia artwork to the iconic architectural surroundings of Trafford Palazzo. I hope visitors get to see the Earth as if from space; an incredibly beautiful and precious place. An ecosystem we urgently need to look after – our only home.”

By making one of the world's most recognisable touring artworks freely accessible in a retail centre, Trafford Palazzo is inviting thousands of visitors to stop, look up and see the world from a completely different perspective.

Whether visitors are shopping, meeting friends or enjoying Trafford Palazzo's leisure attractions, Gaia promises an unforgettable experience to enjoy throughout its autumn residency with a stacked schedule of free events underneath the artwork to be announced.

Further details of the full programme of events will be announced throughout August ahead of launching alongside Luke’s artwork: Museum of the Moon at Campfield, Manchester.

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