Sun installation lights up Grimsby Minster in major North East Lincolnshire arts event

A striking new artwork inspired by the Sun is now on display at Grimsby Minster, bringing a large-scale cultural attraction to North East Lincolnshire and adding another notable date to the county's arts calendar. The installation, called Helios, has been created by artist Luke Jerram and will remain at the minster until 4 May. Measuring 19ft, or 6m, across, the internally lit sculpture has been produced using more than 400,000 high-resolution photographs of the Sun's surface alongside observational data from Nasa.

For Lincolnshire audiences, the exhibition continues a growing tradition of major immersive artworks being hosted in the county's landmark church spaces. Jerram's earlier Earth installation was shown at Grimsby Minster in 2022 and later at Lincoln Cathedral in 2024, giving local residents in different parts of Lincolnshire the chance to experience internationally recognised work without travelling far beyond the county. At Grimsby Minster, organisers say the setting plays an important role in how the piece is experienced.

The sculpture is accompanied by surround sound created by Duncan Speakman and Sarah Anderson, helping turn the minster into a reflective exhibition space as well as a place for visitors to gather. Charlotte Bowen, of Grimsby-based arts charity The Culture House, said the work offers people the opportunity to see what the Sun looks like close up in a way they would not normally be able to. She also said the minster is well suited to ambitious installations of this kind, describing the atmosphere created by the artwork and the building as serene and calming.

For a town like Grimsby, where community venues often play a central role in cultural life, hosting one of the first showings of the artwork in the north of England is a significant moment. The exhibition has been supported through funding from the National Lottery Community Fund, awarded to Our Future Starts Here, a programme intended to inspire change through creativity in the region, according to The Culture House. Visitors heading to the minster can also expect more than the central installation alone.

Additional activities linked to the programme include children's storytelling, yoga, and a light night running from 17 to 19 April featuring other illuminated works inside the church. Taken together, the programme places Grimsby Minster at the heart of a wider cultural offer for North East Lincolnshire. While Lincolnshire is often celebrated for its coastline, market towns and heritage buildings, events like this show how the county's historic spaces are also being used in new ways - connecting art, science and community in a setting familiar to local people.

For residents looking for something different over the coming weeks, Helios offers a chance to see a global subject brought vividly into a Lincolnshire setting.

This story was adapted by The Lincoln Post from original reporting by www.bbc.com.