Liverpool Cathedral announces Helios events programme

A special programme of events will take place to coincide with the visit of the giant Helios installation to Liverpool Cathedral next month.

Artist Luke Jerram’s giant fiery work will be on display in the cathedral’s Well from April 4 to May 9 - apart from April 17-19 when it will be taken down for Easter services.

The cathedral is the first venue in the Northwest to host the stunning spherical and internally illuminated work which brings our Sun – which is 93 million miles from Earth - into close and detailed view.

And today a programme of events has been revealed which will run during Helios’ five-week stay.

It includes sunrise yoga underneath the installation, storytelling sessions, interactive workshops and creative activities for families, a ‘fine dining’ experience with a three course menu in the Well and a Science and Faith lecture.

There will also be special ‘quiet’ hours with a relaxed viewing and limited numbers, while on selected evenings the cathedral will keep its doors open until 9pm with a performance from the Hope Street Concert Choir on April 12, a piano performance from cathedral director of music Stephen Mannings on April 24 and an appearance by RLPO harpist Elizabeth McNulty on May 5.

Meanwhile this year’s Liverpool Cathedral Sleepout, organised in partnership with the Whitechapel Centre and which takes place on April 11, will give people the chance to sleep around the installation overnight to raise funds for the most vulnerable in the city.

Helios is a co-commission between Liverpool Cathedral, the National Trust, Cork Midsummer Festival, Old Royal Naval College and University College London.

Measuring 23ft (seven metres) in diameter, every centimetre of the artwork represents 1,240miles/2,000km of the Sun’s surface, highlighting sunspots, spicules, filaments, and even the origins of solar flares that recently brought the Northern Lights to the UK.

Visitors will also be immersed in a specially commissioned surround sound composition by Duncan Speakman and Sarah Anderson, featuring fire sounds, NASA solar mission recordings, summer beaches, and uplifting ambient music, connecting audiences with the Sun’s role in life, health, and culture.

Artist Luke Jerram says: “Helios acts as a venue, enabling hosts to create their own programme of sun inspired events and activities to take place beneath it. I hope that Liverpool Cathedral's exciting programme of events will bring together people of all ages, religions and backgrounds in celebration and reflection.”

The cathedral has previously hosted Jerram's Museum of the Moon and Gaia installations.

Helios is at Liverpool Cathedral from April 4 to May 9. More on the event programme and booking details HERE