The Sun is simultaneously very close and very distant to us—it accompanies us every day, yet we cannot look at it directly. During the last edition of the Silesian Science Festival, we were able to admire the Earth thanks to the Gaia mobile installation, while this year, at the City of Science Market of Ideas, we will see the Helios sculpture—a reproduction of the Sun in the finest detail!
The majestic Helios is seven metres in diameter and features 72dpi detailed imagery of the Sun’s surface. At an approximate scale of 1:200 million, each centimetre of the internally lit spherical sculpture represents 2000km of the Sun’s surface. At this scale the Earth by comparison is about the size of a tennis ball! The imagery for the artwork has been compiled using photographs of the Sun provided by astrophotographer Stuart Green, PhD and NASA observations of the Sun, with guidance from solar scientist, Prof. Lucie Green.
We will therefore have a unique opportunity to get closer to the Sun and admire its surface, reproduced with attention to all the stunning details, such as sunspots, spicules and filaments. The sculpture also features the source of the solar flares which caused the Northern Lights to be visible from the United Kingdom in May 2024.
Creators of Helios
Helios was created by Luke Jerram, the artist behind, among others, the Gaia installation, which you we able to admire during the 8th ŚFN. The British multidisciplinary artist creates extraordinary artworks at all scales, that deliver messages and inspire communities to recognise often challenging concepts. In many of his latest works, such as Helios and Gaia, he pays particular attention to the state of our planet.
Helios is an installation artwork that combines the architecture of the space, the sculpture of the Sun and a surround sound composition by Duncan Speakman and Sarah Anderson. It’s quite a challenge to try and capture the scale and power of the Sun through a piece of music. For Helios, the authors took many different approaches and collated them into one long composition. The accompanying music piece moves through a series of different expressions of the Sun itself as well as its relationship with us and our planet, shifting back and forth from a human perspective to a planetary one.
Duncan Speakman is a composer and sound artist based at the Pervasive Media Studio in Bristol. He creates narrative sound led experiences that engage audiences in uncontrolled public and private space.
Sarah Anderson is a multi-instrumentalist and composer from London and the South-West. Her work spans many musical landscapes, but strings and vocals are often at the forefront of what she writes, produces and performs.
The Sun at your fingertips during the 9th ŚFN
The main idea behind Helios is to initiate an important discussion on a range of topics, such as the environment and physical/mental health, as well as wellbeing. To quote artist Luke Jerram himself, we hope that the presentation of Helios in the middle of winter, when it’s cold outside and sunshine is scarce, might have the potential to make visitors feel better!
Helios has been co-commissioned by National Trust, Cork Midsummer Festival, Liverpool Cathedral, Old Royal Naval College and University College London.
For more information on the installation, please visit my-helios.org.
Joi us during the 9th Silesian Science Festival in Katowice to have the Sun at your fingertips. See you at the City of Science Market of Ideas in the International Congress Centre on 6–8 December!
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