Helios, Luke Jerram, Charterhouse, August 2025

Collecting artwork through my photography is one of my long-running projects. My interest in Luke Jerram’s work began during the pandemic, when BBC Midlands, was filming his large-scale artwork In Memoriam. The installation, set next to Aston Hall, was the subject of one of my earlier blogs. Briefly, Luke used blue and white hospital bed sheets to create a circular medical logo that stretched across a field. I was fortunate not only to meet him but also to talk with him about how this work came about and even to take his portrait photograph.

Helios, Luke Jerram, Charterhouse, August 2025
Helios residing in the gardens of Charterhouse

Since then, whenever one of Jerram’s installations has come to the West Midlands, I have made a point of visiting and photographing the artwork. I have seen Gaia at Millennium Point, the Museum of the Moon in Lichfield Cathedral, and more recently, Helios at the historic Charterhouse in Coventry.

Helios, Luke Jerram, Charterhouse, August 2025
Enjoying the spectacle
Helios, Luke Jerram, Charterhouse, August 2025
The earth and Helios compared.

The Charterhouse, a former medieval monastic house with a long and varied history, is now run by the National Trust. On a hot sunny afternoon in August, we visited the property to view Helios. Jerram’s works are displayed against differing backdrops which provide a dramatic contrast to the art. This glowing sphere of the sun was set within the walled gardens, an ideal setting, as my photographs show.

Helios, Luke Jerram, Charterhouse, August 2025
Helios in the Garden

My grandson Noah suggested we lie down beneath Helios. This gave me an unusual perspective, and some striking photographs. After capturing several images, I paused to simply take in the artwork. Suspended within its metal frame, the sphere revealed breathtaking details of the sun’s surface. The inclusion of a scaled Earth nearby reminded viewers of just how vast the sun truly is.

Helios, Luke Jerram, Charterhouse, August 2025
Dramatic blue skies behind Helios

The Charterhouse itself is a place of calm beauty, with its tiered gardens and excellent coffee shop, a welcome stop after exploring. I doubt Richard II, who laid its foundations, could ever have imagined the many ways the property would be used over the centuries.

Helios, Luke Jerram, Charterhouse, August 2025
Noah with his football sphere.

Now, having photographed In MemoriamGaiaMuseum of the Moon, and Helios, my next goal is to view Mars when it visits the West Midlands. That will complete my personal photographic record of Luke Jerram’s planetary installations.

These are my previous entries on Luke Jerram’s artwork.

My notes from my visit to Gaia in March 2022.

We visited Gaia by Luke Jerram is in Millennium Point, Birmingham. This is adjacent to the ThinkTank Museum where the children had so much fun after visiting Gaia. The earth is something to see when you get up close and personal. Luke Jerram created the artwork which is 1.8 million times smaller than the real earth. The double exposure created in camera is of my daughter Natasha. My title of the picture is “Lost in her own world”. Interestingly my grandchildren cannot remember the visit so I am glad I have the pictures to show their enjoyment on the day.

Gaia, Millenium Point, Birmingham, March 2022
My grandchildren together with Gaia in the background.
Gaia, Millenium Point, Birmingham, March 2022
Lost in her own world. A double exposure of my daughter with Gaia.
Lost all meaning by Imbue, Digbeth, Birmingham

I follow Imbue on Instagram and enjoy his thought-provoking artwork. Over the last few weeks, my Instagram feed went wild with notifications about his forthcoming exhibition. The images circulating included the Mona Lisa as viewed on mobile phones and a horse constructed from Amazon boxes. The exhibition was called ‘Lost All Meaning’, so I headed down to Digbeth to see the artwork. I do enjoy contemporary art. Having lived through the glam rock, punk and new romantic music movements, the album covers were always treasured. Imbue’s work captures much of that excitement and brings it right up to date.

Lost all meaning by Imbue, Digbeth, Birmingham
The exhibition space for the Imbue artwork.

I arrived at the building on Floodgate Street and was immediately drawn to the walls where Imbue had arranged his work. A food and drinks machine was set up to dispense “faith healing” drugs. I bought a pack from the machine dispenser, and inside the blister pack, the tablets were arranged in the shape of a cross. This religious theme ran throughout the exhibition, with pieces such as The Fall of Man (UV print on a used MacBook lid) and McChurch, which, when cut out, resembles a McDonald’s Happy Meal box. The 100 Phones exhibit depicting the Mona Lisa was remarkable, though it makes me feel I really must go and see the actual Mona Lisa now!

Leonardo da Vinci
Faithhealers make a cross.
Lost all meaning by Imbue, Digbeth, Birmingham
Mc Church which if brought allows you the option to but out and make a box.
Lost all meaning by Imbue, Digbeth, Birmingham
Close up of the 100 phones Mona Lisa.

Many of the prints were mounted on the wall and arranged in a 3-by-3 grid, including Leonardo da Vinci–inspired printed circuit boards with images of the Mona Lisa, Salvator Mundi, and Saint John the BaptistKids with Guns used shooting targets with added Mickey Mouse ears, a powerful indictment of the world’s current gun problems. Nearby was a bullet encased in a bottle, designed to be used in a 3D-printed gun.

Lost all meaning by Imbue, Digbeth, Birmingham
Leonardo da Vinci series
Lost all meaning by Imbue, Digbeth, Birmingham
Shooting targets for kids.
Lost all meaning by Imbue, Digbeth, Birmingham
A bullet for a 3D printed gun.

The theme of 3D printing ran through the exhibition, with the interplay of technology and everyday life presented not only to shock but also to make you think.

Lost all meaning by Imbue, Digbeth, Birmingham
Liquidising Alexa which I have to admit is such a good idea.

Two large exhibits dominated the centre of the warehouse. The horse made from Amazon boxes must have stood 12 metres tall, as shown in the photos. Quite a few home deliveries were needed to construct this horse. To my mind, it resembled a Trojan Horse. Very fitting, as we bring Amazon boxes into our homes without a moment’s thought.

Lost all meaning by Imbue, Digbeth, Birmingham
The Amazon Boxes Horse.

The other large exhibit was a veiled statue that Imbue had secretly scanned during a visit to the Louvre. The replica of Antonio Corradini’s Femme Voilée rotated in front of a bank of 3D printers. Small white statues were being printed and stored in a box, ready to be sold. This work raised many questions: how is it possible to scan such famous statues and then make them accessible to all? Did Imbue “steal” the statue from the Louvre, or is this simply how art will be shared in the future?

Lost all meaning by Imbue, Digbeth, Birmingham
The veiled lady in front of a bank of 3D printing machines.
Lost all meaning by Imbue, Digbeth, Birmingham
A reflection of the veiled lady in the 3D printing window.
Lost all meaning by Imbue, Digbeth, Birmingham
The one that I want.

There were many other exhibits, too many to describe in detail. There are several accounts of the exhibition on the Internet each featuring their favoured artwork.

Personally, my favourite work was DNArk. I am currently watching a cheesy but entertaining TV series on the Syfy channel called The Ark, where the last of humanity is sent into space carrying the DNA of the animal world. Imbue’s artwork consists of a transparent boat with multiple rows of red vials representing DNA samples. It left me wondering: how are we going to preserve the world’s DNA if we keep destroying the environment?

Lost all meaning by Imbue, Digbeth, Birmingham
DNArk

The bonus of the visit was meeting Imbue himself and taking his picture. He was open to conversation and happy to discuss his artwork and the ideas behind it. The exhibition only ran for a few days, but I will be on the lookout for his future work. Imbue has created artwork that resonates with today’s technology, cleverly weaving in references to past masters while exploring how we interact with the modern world. The role of religion seems to have morphed into technology, as people reinvent the world around them.

Lost all meaning by Imbue, Digbeth, Birmingham
The artist, Imbue.

As a photographer, I appreciated how the exhibition was staged against the backdrop of an old industrial engineering workshop. The natural light from the ceiling windows and the texture of the walls provided the perfect setting for the artwork. As always, I used my X100VI for most of the pictures, whilst favouring my iPhone’s wide-angle lens for the overall views.

Lost all meaning by Imbue, Digbeth, Birmingham
Lost all Meaning.

I found this exhibition space interesting as last year I was at the same place for the final day of the Floodgate an entertainment complex. As ever Digbeth changes and I have added my blog link below.

The Naze Tower, Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex, 2024

I was attending a conference in Colchester and whilst it is a long drive from Birmingham to Colchester, I planned a visit to the seaside.  My aim was to complete a circular route starting at Walton-on-the-Naze, onto Frinton-on-Sea and then finally Clacton-on-Sea before heading back to Colchester.  My visit to the beach huts and the sea fronts of these towns forms the basis of another post.

The Naze Tower, Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex, 2024
A beautiful day
The Naze Tower, Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex, 2024
View towards Walton on the Naze

My drive from Birmingham was long and tiring and my first port of call was Walton upon Naze. I drove through the town looking for a place to park and carried on until I found myself at the Naze tower.  Here there was ample parking and a place to have lunch.   Stretching my legs after the long drive, I began to investigate the Naze tower.  The architecture is in the form of a pillar and the tower is a prominent structure on the headland overlooking the container terminal of Harwich.  I took several pictures and then went inside the tower climbing up to the observation platform.  

The Naze Tower, Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex, 2024
A window and the spiral staircase.
The Naze Tower, Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex, 2024
Art in the Tower

The structure has had many uses throughout the years and one of them was the installation of a radar dish during the Second World War.  The tower was first used to guide ships into the area acting as a landmark to the ports and river estuary.   There is a circular steel staircase that climbs through several floors.  Some of the floors are part of the tea room whilst others house museum items and then the upper floors act as an art gallery.  Each room is small and circular with a window overlooking the area.  Each floor contains curious museum objects or fascinating works of art as my pictures show. Some of the objects are very random but also fun to view.   Once I had reached the observation platform, there were views out towards the sea and the surrounding landscape.   The weather was glorious and there was not a cloud in the sky.  This was remarkable considering the rain that we have had in recent weeks.   Then it was back down the steel staircase and another chance to admire those items that I had seen on my way up.  I had a good lunch at the visitor centre after the climb.  I was glad that I had stumbled upon the Naze tower.  The future of the structure is a worrying one. Once the tower was a quarter of a mile inland, but now they estimate that it only has a lifespan possibly of 20 years until the sea claims the tower.  This would be a great shame and work is being done to stop the loss of the tower.

The Naze Tower, Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex, 2024
Contemplating the trip to the top.
The Naze Tower, Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex, 2024
The Naze Tower

Further reading about the Naze Tower