‘MegaStructure’ by Marcus Lyall

Jodrell Bank’s Lovell Telescope sits at the centre of the bluedot universes the third biggest steerable telescope the world. We commissioned artist Marcus Lyall to create our headline projection piece ‘MegaStructure’ at bluedot 2018, where he projection mapped onto the telescope during the weekend.

1,470 light-years away lies the Cygnus constellation, home to Tabby’s Star: a mysterious source of unusual light fluctuations discovered by NASA’s Kepler telescope. It has been observed by humans since the 1800’s, yet recent fascination with the star stems from new research into its strange shifts in brightness. Explanations regarding the cause are varied, but the existence of an extra-terrestrial ‘megastructure’ surrounding the star cannot be ruled out.

Drawing inspiration from this hypothesized alien architecture, Marcus’ Lyall’s new work – MegaStructure – brought the undercarriage of the towering Lovell Telescope to life with a spectacular durational sequence of colour and light.