The Orrery

The Orrery tells a story about a painting by the 18th century artist, Joseph Wright, depicting the mechanical model of the Solar System of that name. With its full title of A Philosopher giving that Lecture on the Orrery in Which a Lamp is in Place of the Sun, it was the most ambitious painting Wright had taken on, but with aid of two children, a fairground side show and a bit of 18th century space travel, he eventually produces a work that has come to be seen as an icon of the Age of Enlightenment. This is a tale concerned with creativity and imagination, be it for an old master oil painting or a modern-day graphic novel.