Lightroom

London’s first projection-based performance venue
  • Things to do | Exhibitions
  • King’s Cross
  1. The Moonwalkers, Lightroom, 2023
    Photo: Justin Sutcliffe
  2. Lightroom
    PHILIP VILE
  3. Lightroom
    John Sturrock | David Hockney: Bigger & Closer (not smaller & further away) Exhibition in Lightroom, Lewis Cubitt Square, King's Cross

Time Out says

Sister to the Bridge Theatre in London Bridge but a very different prospect, the Lightroom capitalises on the current craze for projection-based work by creating what is effectively a projection-based art gallery. A collaboration between Bridge boss Nicholas Hytner’s London Theatre Company and the design studio 59 Productions, it’s effectively a single gigantic gallery space with extremely sophisticated projection capability and sound design. 

As of late December 2023 it has hosted two shows: a David Hockney exhibition (‘Bigger & Closer’) that resembles a more sophisticated version of the touring Van Gough exhibits that are to be found all over the world now, and ‘The Moonwalkers’, essentially a documentary.

Lightroom says
Lightroom is a new home for spectacular artist-led shows

Launching our programme with a collaboration with David Hockney, we invite the world’s leading creative minds to use our vast space and revolutionary technology to create something completely new.

Lightroom is located in King’s Cross on Lewis Cubitt Square, adjacent to Coal Drops Yard and Central St Martin’s. The innovative showspace was designed by 59 Productions in close collaboration with Haworth Tompkins, who have designed the venue as a sister space to the award-winning Bridge Theatre. Along with a generous Foyer and gift shop, the space also contains a bar and seating area run by St John.

Lightroom is a joint venture between 59 Productions and London Theatre Company. Lightroom’s CEO is Richard Slaney and its executive chair is Nick Starr, co-founder of London Theatre Company. Lightroom is backed by a group of investors led by Sir Leonard Blavatnik who is represented by Danny Cohen, President of Access Entertainment; and Mike Sherwood, former co-CEO of Goldman Sachs Internation

Details

Address
12 Lewis Cubitt Square
London
N1C 4DY
Transport:
tube: Kings Cross
Opening hours:
Mon – Wed: 9:45–21:00; Thu – Sat: 9:45–22:30; Sun: 9:45–18:00
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What’s on

Prehistoric Planet: Discovering Dinosaurs

4 out of 5 stars
This King’s Cross Lightroom now has surely the weirdest repertoire of any venue in London, possibly the world. With an oeuvre based around massive megabit projection-based immersive films, its shows so far have been a David Hockney exhibition, a Tom Hanks-narrated film about the moon landings, a Vogue documentary and a visualiser for Coldplay’s upcoming album. It’s such a random collection of concepts that it’s hard to say there was or is anything ‘missing’ from the extremely esoteric selection of bases covered. But certainly, as the school summer holidays roll around it’s very welcome to see it add an overtly child-friendly show to its roster. Bar a short Coldplay break, Prehistoric Planet: Discovering Dinosaurs will play daily at Lightroom from now until at least the end of October half-term. It is, as you would imagine, a dinosaur documentary. And indeed, if the name rings a specific bell it’s because it’s culled from the David Attenborough-narrated Apple TV series of the same name. It’s quite the remix, though: Attenborough is out, and Damian Lewis is in, delivering a slightly melodramatic voiceover that lacks Sir David’s colossal gravitas but is, nonetheless, absolutely fine. Presumably Attenborough is absent because he’s very busy and very old, because while the film reuses several of the more spectacular setpieces from the TV series, it’s sufficiently different that repurposing the old narration would be a stretch. Any child with any degree of fondness for the...
  • Exhibitions