Famous faces come to life in the Art Fair

From Winston Churchill to Amy Winehouse, Charles Darwin to Doctor Who Star Ncuti Gatwa, portraits of a multitude of British icons appear in the first immersive exhibition to use one of the British national art collections.

The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) combined digital versions of portraits from its collection with animated graphics and offenders to tell the stories of 19 celebrities and historical figures.

This is the last of a wave of increasingly popular immersive art shows, which fill the walls of the gallery with large -scale visuals.

The show will be launched in Salford Friday before touring the United Kingdom. But while access to see the original portraits of the NPG in London is free, the entry of the exhibition of the stories brought to life costs up to £ 35.

NPG director Victoria Siddall told BBC News: “The main engine of this is to bring the collection to new audiences outside London.

“But there is another element to this, of course, which increases income, which is absolutely crucial for museums to thrive.

“Obviously, we are still looking for new innovations that can help engage the public. And if that also brings us income, it’s wonderful.”

All national galleries charge admission to special exhibitions, she added.

The gallery has provided an operating deficit for the last exercise.

The use of paintings and striking photos with animated graphics, music and narration was a “powerful combination,” said Siddall.

The exhibition takes place in a pop-up place in Medicity in Salford until August and will then be turned towards five additional places, but they have not been announced.

The walls of the place are filled with around 40 geanful photo frame boxes, on which portraits and animations are projected.

Some of the personalities chosen, such as Malala Yousafzai, Churchill and Audrey Hepburn, tell their stories in their own words; While the actors tell the sections on others, notably William Shakespeare and Emmeline Pankhurst.

It is a Whistlestop guide for selected history slices, with the story of each person told in two or three minutes, and the whole show taking about 45 minutes. It ends with Queen Elizabeth II.

Standard adult tickets cost between £ 22 and £ 30, with an additional £ 5 for a flexible ticket, and some “affordable” tickets available on Monday.

Joy Coker, editor -in -chief of Arts Outlet Alt A Review, said that she thought it was worth it, but that the price could exclude certain people.

“Right now, with the cost of living, it may not be something that everyone can afford,” she said.

“It is stimulating and that makes you think about each individual subject, and brings you back to these moments in time, which you are not going to obtain from a portrait in itself.”

In recent years, Vincent Van Gogh’s artists in David Hockney have successfully undergone immersive treatment.

This weekend, LS Lowry will also be added to the list when a new free immersive experience will bring her brand men’s games to the Lowry Arts in Salford.

The walls, the floor and the ceiling of a gallery become the canvas for the projections of the artist’s painting in 1953 going to the match. The crowds flock to watch the Bolton Wanderers FC are animated, zomaining on sections of the work of art.

The six -minute experience is told by the actor and actress of Bolton Sophie Willan, and visitors can then see the real painting in the next gallery.

“People go and stand in front of painting, then are looking for elements that have come to life, and this is a different way for them to be able to engage with the real work of art,” said Lowry Managing Director Julia Fawcett.

The place bought the table for nearly 8 million pounds sterling in 2022 and spent two years working on the immersive version. Fawcett said that she had not planned to invoice the entry.

“Our galleries are free and that is part of our gallery offer,” she said. “For us, it was a question of making sure that we reach the widest possible public.

“We know that immersive (art) is popular, but we also know that the price can be an obstacle, and it would be counter-intuitive, when you have a project which consists in reaching more audiences and deepening the love and appreciation of the artist’s people, to set up a barrier.”