Gaia at Gloucester Cathedral

MYP 1 and 2 enjoyed a fabulous afternoon at the cathedral this week exploring Gaia. Last  year we visited the Moon, this year Luke Jarram has created Gaia - personification of Earth, a piece that reflects upon the fragility of the Earth and leads us to contemplate our role on, and the future of, the planet we call home.

In the morning lessons at school, both MYP 1 and 2 investigated and debated James Lovelock's (101 this year!) Gaia theory. The symbiotic relationship between geology and life and how it is life itself that regulates the environment. Armed with a little background knowledge our two year groups set off to Gloucester Cathedral to contemplate these concepts under the shadow of this amazing piece of art.

MYP2, with Miss Kobylec, also used the opportunity to conduct some amazing science, calculating whereabouts in the nave they would need to be escape Earth’s gravity.   MYP 1 with Mr Swann contemplated biomes as we simply sat and watched the world turn around and around and around...

MYP1 also took the opportunity to hunt down a little medieval graffiti and mason’s mark ahead of our medieval theme next term. We stumbled across this fellow, frozen in stone under the blue glare of Earth gazing upon the Southern Hemisphere. What would he have made of this view?  A serendipitous representation of Lovelock’s Gaia perhaps; geology and life entwined and probably unnoticed by all but the most perceptive and inquisitive of visitors, such as MYP1 and 2!