The illuminated sculpture of the Sun, seven meters in diameter, offers a detailed look at its surface.
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00:00An awe-inspiring sculpture of the sun is illuminating Liverpool Cathedral.
00:05For the first time ever, the UK's largest cathedral is hosting Helios
00:09by world-renowned British artist Luke Jerram,
00:12after having also hosted Museum of the Moon and Gaia.
00:15The breathtaking seven-metre sculpture of the sun
00:18offers a scale like no other.
00:20At 1 to 200 million, every centimetre of Helios
00:25represents 2,000 kilometres of the sun's surface.
00:30Intricate details like sunspots and solar flares
00:33that are usually millions of miles away
00:35appear visible to the naked eye.
00:38So the artwork has been made out of about 4,000 images
00:41of the surface of the sun.
00:43So all the spicules and sunspots and solar flares,
00:47all the origins of solar flares, all that detail has been put into it.
00:51And then we've also got this amazing rippling light
00:55that's internally projected onto the surface.
00:58So, yeah, it should be rather mesmeric and hopefully quite calming.
01:01You know, we don't ordinarily get lots of sunshine in the UK,
01:05so this is an opportunity to get some guaranteed rays.
01:08Liverpool Cathedral is the first venue in the world
01:12to have showcased three of Luke Jerram's celestial artworks.
01:16I love Liverpool.
01:18They seem to get culture in a way that other cities don't quite, you know.
01:22And it's amazing that this exhibition is also free for the public to visit.
01:26So if you're a four-year-old child,
01:28you're going to enjoy running underneath the sun
01:30and being in this amazing space and having a bit of freedom.
01:33Whereas if, you know, you're an astrophysicist,
01:36you'll really enjoy looking at the surface of the sun
01:38that you've never seen before in quite the same way.
01:41To complete the dazzling display,
01:43the cathedral has curated a diverse programme of events,
01:47allowing visitors to experience the installation in many unique ways.
01:52We've got a massive tickets at events programme,
01:55so that goes from storytelling to half-term crafts and activities,
02:01which is donation-based.
02:03From there, we go into a science and faith lecture.
02:07We've got yoga ongoing.
02:09We've got cathedral late socials, which is one of my favourites,
02:12where we're kind of recreating a bit of a summer garden style.
02:16This isn't just art.
02:17It is a complete experience with a custom surround sound composition
02:21blending solar sounds, NASA mission recordings and uplifting music.
02:27And the artwork also comes with this surround sound composition
02:30that helps connect the architecture with the sculpture.
02:34And the composition's got the sound of a dawn chorus,
02:37and it's got the sound of a NASA mission to the sun.
02:40It's got the sounds of the surface of the sun that NASA have picked up.
02:44So, yeah, I'm hoping people will appreciate this artwork
02:48and an opportunity to check out the surface of the sun for the first time.
02:52Helios is at Liverpool Cathedral until Friday 9th of May.