David Hockney: Bigger & Closer (not smaller & further away)
About the event
Using large-scale projection in a remarkable new space, David Hockney takes us on a personal journey through sixty years of his art.
Lightroom’s vast walls and revolutionary sound system enable us to experience the world through Hockney’s eyes.
His life-long fascination with the possibilities of new media is given vibrant expression in a show that invites us to look more closely, more truly and more joyously.
★★★★★
“Utterly beguiling… A breathtaking triumph.”
The Independent
★★★★
“Plunges you into the vision of our most popular living artist.”
The Times
★★★★★
“Both the show and venue are marvels.”
Reviews Hub
★★★★
“David Hockney does immersion his own way.”
The Observer
In a cycle of six themed chapters, with a specially composed score by Nico Muhly and a commentary by the artist himself, Hockney reveals his process to us. His voice is in our ears as we watch him experimenting with perspective, using photography as a way of ‘drawing with a camera’, capturing the passing of time in his polaroid collages and the joy of spring on his iPad, and showing us why only paint can properly convey the hugeness of the Grand Canyon. We join him on his audio-visual Wagner Drive, roaring up into the San Gabriel Mountains, and into the opera house by means of animated re-creations of his stage designs.
From LA to Yorkshire, and up to the present day in Normandy, the show is an unprecedented opportunity to spend time in the presence of one of the great popular geniuses of the art world still innovating, still creating beauty and awe.
Practical Information
Ticket prices
Adults from £25
Students & Under 18s from £15
Under 3s go free
Younger children need to be supervised in the space and we ask that parents are considerate of the experience for all our guests.
Dates
From 17 June – 6 October
Duration
One complete loop lasts approximately 50 mins. You are welcome to stay for longer.
Audience Suitability
Suitable for all ages. contains one instance of nudity. More accessibility information.
FAQs
One full loop of the show is approximately 50 minutes long. You are welcome to stay for longer if you wish, unless you are attending the last slot of the day.
We sell tickets for show slots every 30 minutes.
A full loop of the show is 52 minutes long, but you are welcome to stay for longer. The show is designed to be watched from any point during the loop. If you’re booked in for the last slot of the day, you will be able to watch one full loop of the show only.
David Hockney: Bigger & Closer (not smaller & further away) is shown at Lightroom in repertory with The Moonwalkers: A Journey with Tom Hanks.
You can see Bigger & Closer at Lightroom each week from Sunday – Tuesday, between 10:00 and 17:30 (last slot).
On Wednesdays, both Bigger & Closer and The Moonwalkers are shown at Lightroom on the same day. Catch Bigger & Closer on Wednesdays between 10:00 and 12:30 (last slot).
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“The world is very very beautiful if you look at it, but most people don’t look very much. They scan the ground in front of them so they can walk, they don’t really look at things incredibly well, with an intensity. I do.”
David Hockney
Credits
Created by
David Hockney & Lightroom
Designed by
59 Productions
Written & directed by
Mark Grimmer
David Hockney Studio
JP Gonçalves de Lima
Jonathan Wilkinson
David Hockney, Inc.
Rob Berg
Biaani Carrillo
James Comer
David Egan
Juan Carlos Elizondo
Julie Green
Shannan Kelly
Jonathan Mills
George Snyder
Greg Rose
Elise Wille
Original music composed by
Nico Muhly
Executive Producers
Richard Slaney
Nicholas Hytner
Nick Starr
Production team
Production Direction
Mark Grimmer
Video Designer
Nick Corrigan
Associate Video Designer
Felix Green
Associate Producer
Anna Jones
Designers
Dale Croft
Matt Taylor
Assistant Designers
Ash Kayser
Simran Phull
Lorna Pittaway
Animators
Lawrence Watson
Edd Stockton
Jarek Radecki
Emily Howells
Nick Corrigan
Felix Green
Music Editor
Philip Adams
Sound Designer
Gareth Fry
Lighting Designer
Ben Pearcy
Video Programmer
Liam Daly
Editors
Nick Corrigan
Felix Green
Assistant Editor
Kate Mogridge