Art / News
Huge model of Sun goes on display at swimming pool
A leisure centre in Knowle is the latest venue to host an installation by world-renowned artist Luke Jerram.
Titled ‘Helios’, the spectacular solar sphere is suspended above Jubilee Swimming Pool and will be on display for three weeks.
The model is 5m in diameter and has been created using 400,000 high-resolution photographs of the Sun’s surface, along with NASA observational data.
Visitors can experience ‘Helios’ from the water during regular swim slots or at “extra immersive sessions” in the early morning or late evening accompanied by atmospheric lighting and a solar soundscape.
It’s a homecoming for the south Bristol-based artist after the artwork has been exhibited at locations including Winchester Cathedral and The Exchange in Birmingham.
Jerram, an artist who has also installed a water slide down Park Street and playable pianos across the world, said: “I’m really excited by the opportunity to present Helios in a swimming pool for the first time and allow people to swim beneath it.
“While I work as an artist both nationally and internationally, I’m also a Bristol-based artist, so I’m pleased that this artwork can be used to support my local community-led pool.”
After touring globally, Luke Jerram’s ‘Helios’ has been been installed at a swimming pool for the first time with swimmers invited to ‘sunbathe’ beneath its rays
The residency is the catalyst for a major fundraising campaign to install a new roof and solar panels at the once-threatened swimming pool.
“This is such an exciting, amazing adventure for the pool,” chair of trustees at Jubilee Swimming Pool Julie Laming told Bristol24/7.
“If we don’t use our swimming pools, we lose our swimming pools and that’s such a travesty.
“If you don’t live locally, please go and use your own leisure center because they are such important community hubs.
“They’re lifesavers on so many levels. Your local pool needs you as much as you need it.”
‘Helios’ is on display from Monday until February 8. Throughout the exhibition, the pool remains fully functional and regular members can swim as usual. Tickets for poolside viewings are £3 (children go free) and swimming sessions are £8 per person. To book, visit jubileepoolbristol.co.uk/timetable.
All photos & video: Betty Woolerton
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