Under the theme – HOSTING THE EARTH AT THE CHRISTUSKIRCHE IN MAINZ https://www.gaia-mainz.de/ – the world-famous installation GAIA by the British artist Luke Jerram is on display from 13 September to 4 October 2026. Seven meters in size, the Earth hovers beneath the church’s dome. Standing beneath GAIA, visitors experience our planet from the perspective of outer space: breathtakingly beautiful, boundless, vulnerable. In a time fraught with crises, this artwork reminds us of what unites us: our shared Earth. The preservation of this creation is our task and our responsibility.
As part of the exhibition’s cultural program, we have been invited to contribute to a Science Slam titled “WAS WIR WISSEN – ein Science Slam über unseren Planeten Erde” [engl: WHAT WE KNOW – a science slam about our planet Earth]. Hannes Taubenböck represented the Earth Observation Center (EOC) of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and our Earth Observation Research Cluster (EORC) of JMU. His thought-provoking science slam “Saßen Sie schon mal in einem Zug nach Mumbai? – Forschung im Grenzbereich zwischen Armut, Reichtum und Moral” [engl.: “Have you ever been on a train to Mumbai? – Research on the borderline between poverty, wealth and morality”]” reflected the exhibition’s theme and highlighted, in a humorous way, the tension between global injustice and distorted perspectives. It was a very humorous evening in which science and the complexities of our world were presented in manifold facets.
Furthermore, Prof. Dr Johann-Dietrich Wörner, former Chairman of the Executive Board of the DLR and former Director General of the European Space Aganecy (ESA), also spoke at the event. Under the title ‘Fascination Earth’, he presented, amongst other things, research carried out at DLR’s Earth Observation Center.
