‘Helios’ at the Painted Hall

In the short, dark days of midwinter, it’s pretty rare that you get a chance to bask in the sun’s warm glow. That is, unless you pay a visit to Greenwich’s Painted Hall over the next couple of months to catch Luke Jerram’s latest installation. A to-scale sculpture of our sun, complete with sunspots and filaments, Helios is the most recent addition to the British artist’s ongoing series of large-scale celestial installations (which also includes Gaia and Museum of the Moon). Accompanied by a soundscape created by acclaimed composers Duncan Speakman and Sarah Anderson, the seven-metre-tall sculpture is suspended from the ceiling of the Old Royal Naval College’s magnificent Baroque dining hall, which also plays host to a programme of wellbeing-focused events to mark the occasion. These include a sustainable fine dining experience helmed by Douglas McMaster from pioneering zero-waste restaurant Silo, a Valentine’s Day dinner, a Tibetan meditation session and a celestial silent disco featuring ‘cosmic pop songs’ and themed cocktails.