Over 28,000 people came to see Helios whilst it was at Bristol Cathedral as part of BTF+ – Bristol’s festival of technology, creativity, and culture.
From Monday 6th October to 2nd November 2025, the Cathedral invited audiences to step closer to the sun in a remarkable fusion of art, science, and sound. Measuring seven metres in diameter, Helios features 72dpi detailed imagery of the sun’s surface. At a scale of 1:200 million, each centimetre of the internally lit sphere represents 2,000km of the sun’s surface, safely revealing sunspots, spicules, filaments, and the origins of solar flares.
A specially created surround sound composition by Duncan Speakman and Sarah Anderson enhances the experience, allowing visitors to explore the sun’s extraordinary surface without the dangers of direct observation.
Luke Jerram said:
“It was so exciting to present my new artwork at Bristol Cathedral for BFT+. I spent all last winter perfecting the sun’s internal rippling light, and it’s wonderful to share this work in my home city.”
Ben Shorrock, Co-Founder of BTF+, said:
BTF+ embodies everything that makes our city and wider region special – the collision of technology, creativity and culture – and Helios could not be a finer embodiment. To have the opportunity to introduce an art installation of this magnitude to the city for the first time and be able to present it in such iconic surroundings, brings tangible momentum to the BTF+ vision.
The Very Revd Dr Mandy Ford, Dean of Bristol, reflected:
This artwork gives us the opportunity for awe and wonder as we encounter our nearest star, with all its mystery and beauty. It is an opportunity to reflect that the sun provides the light that gives growth to plants and thus life to all the earth’s myriad creatures.