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14
Jan
22ft sculpture of the sun to be displayed at Fountains Abbey
A sculpture of the sun measuring seven metres will be displayed at Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal in the autumn.
The sculpture, brought to life by Bristol artist Luke Jerram, is called Helios – named after the ancient Greek god of the sun.
The 22-foot piece has been commissioned by the National Trust, Cork Midsummer Festival, Liverpool Cathedral, Old Royal Naval College and University College London.
Mr Jerram told BBC News the sculpture is a “giant replica of the sun”. Helios features realistic sunspots and solar flares, and allows people to “see the sun close up for the first time”.
Credit: National Trust, James Dobson
According to Mr Jerram’s website, Helios features 72 dots-per-inch imagery. The imagery has been compiled using approximately 400,000 photographs of the sun, provided by astrophotographer Dr Stuart Green, as well as NASA observations of the sun.
Each centimetre of the sculpture represents 2,000km of the real sun’s surface.
Helios also includes a soundscape, which features NASA recordings of the sun, created by Duncan Speakman and Sarah Anderson.
Mr Jerram added:
We all know it's dangerous to look directly at the sun, as it can damage our eyesight. Helios provides a safe way for us to get close to, and inspect, its detailed surface including sunspots, spicules and filaments.
Photos: National Trust, James Dobson
The sculpture was unveiled at Bath’s Assembly Rooms last Friday, where it will remain until February 23.
It will come to Fountains Abbey this autumn. Justin Scully, general manager at Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal, told the Stray Ferret:
We’re delighted to be part of the National Trust 130th birthday celebrations this year and we look forward to welcoming Helios, the new artwork of the sun by Luke Jerram to Fountains Abbey.
The seven-metre sculpture combines solar imagery, light and sound to highlight the sun's intricate details and will be displayed at Fountains Abbey in the autumn. Full details of the installation are still in being finalised and we’ll share more information about how people can see Helios once confirmed later in the year.
The Stray Ferret asked where Helios would be displayed within the Fountains Abbey estate, but the National Trust did not release this information.
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