Catch Luke Jerram's "Helios" shining in Downham this weekend
The unique illuminated sculpture is at Durham Hill, Downham from Thursday 19th to Sunday 22nd June. The installation is part of celebrations marking 100 years since the first residents moved into the LCC's brand new Cottage Estate.
Artist Luke Jerram's installation features light effects, solar images and the sounds of the sun, as captured by NASA. It's a detailed and accurate picture of the solar surface, seven metres in diameter with each centimetre equating to 2,000 km. It even includes sunspots and solar flares.
Helios was co-commissioned by the National Trust with partners including University College London. It appears as part of a year-long programme of events celebrating Downham's centenary.
The programme has included projects to restore green spaces and a young people's project of photography and zines at the Elevate 100 youth hub in Downham Leisure Centre.
You can see Helios at Durham Hill, near Downham Health & Leisure Centre, 7-9 Moorside Rd, BR1 5EW from 7am until 11pm.
Downham Estate - interwar, good quality public housing
Downham Estate was part of a programme of council house building between the first and second world wars, designed to address some of the worst Victorian and Edwardian slum housing.
Downham was at the edge of London at the time, a mainly rural area which became the site for the "out of town" Cottage Estate.
The London County Council (LCC) followed plans by architect George Topham Forrest, aiming to provide good quality public housing with gardens and green space.
Accounts from the time report that families were delighted to move into their new homes, with some early residents calling it "paradise".
