Mars: War & Peace, a touring artwork by UK artist Luke Jerram.

There are three sites for Mars: War & Peace in Kensington and Chelsea. This listing is for the first run which is indoors at St John the Baptist Church, Holland Road, London W14 8AH. Tickets must be pre-booked. Running from Saturday 22 to Sunday 30 July in this venue at set times of day only.

General entry tickets available now. See booking link. A ticket is required for entry.

Why not immerse yourself in the magic of live music in the evening in this venue from Saturday 22 July to Sunday 30 July? If you book a relevant timed/date ticket via this Eventbrite link, you can stay for these named concerts for free. No extra ticket is required. (Schedule subject to change - check social media and/or messages via Eventbrite if any on the day).

Saturday 22 July - 9.00pm Evening concert: Organist Florence Robinson

Sunday 23 July - 8.00pm Organ recital: Andrew Wells

Monday 24 July - 9.00pm Evening concert: Grand Union Orchestra - four-piece acoustic group playing inter-cultural music

Tuesday 25 July - 9.00pm Evening concert: Alla Sirenko – Ukrainian Cultural Centre (piano). This concert will be dedicated to Ukraine. Original music of the Ukrainian/British composer and pianist Alla Sirenko together with Ukrainian songs and popular operatic arias with the Lithuanian Soprano Vaiva Datenyte

Wednesday 26 July - 9.00pm Evening Concert: Konstantin Lapshin and Joaquin Sofredini – pianist and countertenor

Thursday 27 July - 9.00pm Evening Concert: Andreana Chan

Friday 28 July - 9.00pm Evening Concert: Coniston Consort – Four trombonists from Guildhall School of Music and Drama

Saturday 29 July - 9:00pm Evening Concert: Endelienta Baroque playing the Water Music and Bach Double Violin concerto

Sunday 30 July - 8.00pm Evening Concert: Organist Mark Denza

Within Kensington and Chelsea Festival, there are two other sites on offer for Mars: War & Peace.

- All Saints’ Church Notting Hill, Clydesdale Road, London W11 1JS. Running from Monday 31 July to Tuesday 8 August, at set times of day only

- Jubilee Square, Kensington and Chelsea Town Hall, W8 7NX. Running from 8am to 11pm Thursday 10 to Sunday 13 August, with the sound track being played at 7 pm each night. A QR is available to link to the soundtrack at other times. Please note, for indoor venues, tickets need to be pre-booked to allow entry.

Mars: War & Peace
Measuring seven metres in diameter, the artwork features 120dpi detailed NASA imagery* of the Martian surface. At an approximate scale of 1:1 million, each centimetre of the internally lit spherical sculpture represents 10 kilometres of the surface of Mars.

The artwork allows us to view Mars from the air, as though we are a satellite mapping and studying the surface in perfect detail. Every valley, crater, volcano and mountain are laid bare for us to inspect. We are transported to this desert wasteland, to imagine what it’s like to step foot on this incredible planet and in comparison, really value our life on Earth.

Mars was named by the ancient Romans for their god of war because its reddish colour was reminiscent of blood. Accompanying the Mars sculpture is 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. This new soundtrack allows viewers the opportunity to reflect on the current conflict in Ukraine and the history and notion of war.

“Mars: War & Peace follows on from my other touring astronomical artworks Museum of the Moon and Gaia, allowing a close encounter with the Martian planet. Presented with a new soundtrack for the first time at Kensington and Chelsea Festival, I hope that visitors will feel transported to its inhospitable desert wasteland, whilst also being faced to contemplate the bleak realities of war on our planet.” Luke Jerram

The installation is a fusion of Mars imagery, light and surround sound composition. Each venue also programmes their own series of events to contemplate not just the beauty of the red planet and wonder of space science, but also to highlight injustice and the effects of war.

*The Mars artwork is made from NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter data.

A Main Festival Event.