One of the standout attractions of this year’s Kensington & Chelsea Festival is Mars: War & Peace, a spectacular touring artwork by UK artist Luke Jerram.
Measuring 7m in diameter, the sphere features detailed NASA imagery of the Martian surface, including vallies, craters, volcanoes, and mountains. At an approximate scale of 1:1 million, each centimetre of the internally lit globe represents 10 kilometres of the surface of the red planet.
Mars was unveiled at a VIP launch in the spectacular surroundings of St John the Baptist Church, near Shepherd’s Bush, London.
The Luxe Review attended and was wowed by the experience. Suspended in the air, the Insta-friendly globe invites observers to study the surface of the red planet in detail.
Accompanying the Mars sculpture will be a specially created sound composition by BAFTA and Ivor Novello award winning composer Dan Jones…
Accompanying the Mars sculpture will be a specially created sound composition by BAFTA and Ivor Novello award winning composer Dan Jones. Featuring the sounds of seas, deserts and clips from NASA missions to Mars, it also incorporates the sounds of distant bombing and people marching, as if to war; a novel fusion of space photography, light and surround sound.
While Mars is in the church, St John the Baptist will play host to a concert series with orchestra performing from July 22 to July 30.
Mars follows on from Luke Jerram’s other touring astronomical artworks, Museum of the Moon and Gaia. “The artwork transports us to this desert wasteland, to imagine what it’s like to step foot on this incredible planet,” says the artist.
Luke Jerram’s previous works at the Kensington and Chelsea Festival attracted up to 3,000 visitors per day.
The installation will appear at three different sites across the festival: St John the Baptist Church (W14 8AH) from July 22 to July30; All Saints’ Church (W11 1JS) from July 31 to August 8, and Jubilee Square (W8 7NX), an outdoor setting, from August 10 to August 13.
While tickets are required, all locations will be free to visit.
By presenting Mars in a variety of locations, the experience and interpretation of the artwork changes, says its creator.
After orbiting the Kensington and Chelsea Festival, Mars is heading to Germany, where it will appear at arts and science exhibitions, including Bremen (Aug 22 – September 15); Potsdam (September 16 – October 9) and Bielefeld (October 10-31).
The Kensington and Chelsea Festival runs through July to August 31 2023.
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After a sold-out tour across the UK and Ireland, Derren Brown is bringing his latest stage show Only Human to London’s West End, with a residency at the Apollo Theatre this autumn. Brown has long occupied a singular place in British theatre. Part illusionist, part psychological showman, his productions blend suggestion, storytelling and audience participation…
The Young Vic Theatre has unveiled its 2026/27 season, with the headline attraction a new stage musical of Thelma & Louise; this bold reimagining of the 1991 road-movie classic opens the Main House season in September. The musical adaptation stars Amy Lennox as Thelma and Rachel Tucker as Louise. More than three decades after the…
The Luxe Review 
One of the standout attractions of this year’s Kensington & Chelsea Festival is Mars: War & Peace, a spectacular touring artwork by UK artist Luke Jerram.
Measuring 7m in diameter, the sphere features detailed NASA imagery of the Martian surface, including vallies, craters, volcanoes, and mountains. At an approximate scale of 1:1 million, each centimetre of the internally lit globe represents 10 kilometres of the surface of the red planet.
Mars was unveiled at a VIP launch in the spectacular surroundings of St John the Baptist Church, near Shepherd’s Bush, London.
The Luxe Review attended and was wowed by the experience. Suspended in the air, the Insta-friendly globe invites observers to study the surface of the red planet in detail.
Accompanying the Mars sculpture will be a specially created sound composition by BAFTA and Ivor Novello award winning composer Dan Jones. Featuring the sounds of seas, deserts and clips from NASA missions to Mars, it also incorporates the sounds of distant bombing and people marching, as if to war; a novel fusion of space photography, light and surround sound.
While Mars is in the church, St John the Baptist will play host to a concert series with orchestra performing from July 22 to July 30.
Mars follows on from Luke Jerram’s other touring astronomical artworks, Museum of the Moon and Gaia. “The artwork transports us to this desert wasteland, to imagine what it’s like to step foot on this incredible planet,” says the artist.
Luke Jerram’s previous works at the Kensington and Chelsea Festival attracted up to 3,000 visitors per day.
The installation will appear at three different sites across the festival: St John the Baptist Church (W14 8AH) from July 22 to July30; All Saints’ Church (W11 1JS) from July 31 to August 8, and Jubilee Square (W8 7NX), an outdoor setting, from August 10 to August 13.
While tickets are required, all locations will be free to visit.
By presenting Mars in a variety of locations, the experience and interpretation of the artwork changes, says its creator.
After orbiting the Kensington and Chelsea Festival, Mars is heading to Germany, where it will appear at arts and science exhibitions, including Bremen (Aug 22 – September 15); Potsdam (September 16 – October 9) and Bielefeld (October 10-31).
The Kensington and Chelsea Festival runs through July to August 31 2023.
Pixie Lott stars as Marilyn Monroe in new West End drama, says: “It’s a dream come true!”
Pixie Lott is set to play Marilyn Monroe when Who Killed Marilyn? receives its world premiere at London’s Emerald Theatre this summer. Opening on August 15, the new production promises a fresh examination of one of Hollywood’s most enduring figures, placing Monroe at the centre of a story that blends documented history with the mysteries…
Derren Brown’s latest stage show Only Human heads to London West End after sell-out tour
After a sold-out tour across the UK and Ireland, Derren Brown is bringing his latest stage show Only Human to London’s West End, with a residency at the Apollo Theatre this autumn. Brown has long occupied a singular place in British theatre. Part illusionist, part psychological showman, his productions blend suggestion, storytelling and audience participation…
Young Vic 2026/27 season driven by Thelma & Louise stage musical world premiere
The Young Vic Theatre has unveiled its 2026/27 season, with the headline attraction a new stage musical of Thelma & Louise; this bold reimagining of the 1991 road-movie classic opens the Main House season in September. The musical adaptation stars Amy Lennox as Thelma and Rachel Tucker as Louise. More than three decades after the…
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