Helios at Victoria Baths

A giant Sun is rising inside one of Manchester’s most beautiful buildings. For a few weeks this spring, the emptied Gala Pool at Victoria Baths will be transformed by Helios, a monumental touring installation by Luke Jerram, in which a glowing seven-metre sculpture of our nearest star is suspended above the historic swimming pool.

The work brings astronomical imagery down to human scale. Helios is constructed from around 400,000 high-resolution photographs of the Sun captured by astrophotographer Dr Stuart Green and NASA, compiled with guidance from solar scientist Professor Lucie Green (UCL). At a scale of roughly 1:200 million, each centimetre of the sculpture represents around 2,000 kilometres of the Sun’s surface, making its shifting details legible up close. Sunspots, filaments and other solar structures – patterns of turbulence and heat we usually only encounter via specialist imagery – are there to be inspected with the naked eye.

Light is only part of the experience, though. Helios is designed as a fusion of solar imagery, animated lighting and a specially created surround sound composition by Duncan Speakman and Sarah Anderson, turning the Baths into an immersive environment rather than something simply to look at. The detail isn’t just beautiful, either – it’s meaningful in a way we can map onto our own experiences. For example the sculpture includes the source region of the solar flares linked to the Northern Lights that were visible from the UK in May 2024.

Jerram is best known for other large-scale astronomical works including Museum of the Moon, Gaia and Mars, installations that have travelled widely and proved how effectively wonder can operate as a shared public experience. Helios continues that thread, inviting audiences to consider the Sun not only as spectacle, but as the engine of light, warmth and time itself.

At Victoria Baths, the setting adds its own drama. Suspended above the unfilled pool, the luminous sphere throws light across tiled surfaces and ironwork balconies, creating a striking encounter between scientific imagery and the ornate architecture of this Edwardian landmark. Visitors can explore beyond the Gala Pool too, with access to the wider building during their visit.

Alongside general sessions, Helios also becomes a venue for Everything Under the Sun – a programme of events and performances taking place beneath the sculpture – including a special DJ set from Daniel Avery inside the Gala Pool.