London’s Lightroom Shows Bowie and Aardman Through January 2027, Projected onto Four 11 m Walls and the Floor

Lightroom, an immersive venue in King’s Cross, London, opened two new shows in 2026: “David Bowie: You’re Not Alone,” which began on April 22, and “Larger Than Life: Starring Wallace & Gromit, Shaun and More,” created with Aardman, which began on October 14. Both are staged in the same venue, where images are projected onto four 11 m-high walls and the floor. According to the official website, bookings are open for the Bowie show until January 10, 2027, and for the Aardman show until January 4. Based on announcements by Lightroom, Aardman and the official David Bowie website, this article covers the dates, content and prices of the two shows, the venue’s specifications, how it is run and its past productions.

Lightroom opened in February 2023 as a joint venture between the London Theatre Company, which runs theaters, and 59 Productions, a design studio and production company based in London and New York. It creates new shows with artists themselves, their estates and rights holders of footage, staging them in London before taking them to other cities. In Japan, a Paris-born venue presents Van Gogh in immersive imagery in Ariake, Tokyo (see our guide to Rêve des Lumières). Distinct from venues that project famous paintings, Lightroom is a venue where theater makers create a new show each time, and this article follows its activity in 2026.

The Bowie show: Opened in April, now running in the evenings until January 10, 2027

“David Bowie: You’re Not Alone” was announced by Lightroom in February 2026 with an April 22 opening, and opened in April. It is produced by Lightroom and designed by 59, a Journey studio. It was directed by Mark Grimmer and Tom Wexler of 59. According to the official website, Grimmer was creative director of the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) exhibition “David Bowie Is.” Lightroom says the show was created in close collaboration with the David Bowie Estate.

According to the official website, the footage was selected from thousands of hours of film held in the David Bowie Archive in New York. Using live footage, rarely heard interviews and previously unseen material, it traces his career from “Space Oddity” through “Diamond Dogs” and “‘Heroes’” to “★.” The show runs about an hour. For the sound, Gareth Fry, a sound designer who has won multiple Olivier and Tony Awards, reworked each song for the venue’s HOLOPLOT spatial audio system.

The original run was until October 10. According to a June 17, 2026 article on the official David Bowie website, the run has been extended, with evening performances for the rest of 2026. A full week of performances is planned from Tuesday, January 5 to Sunday, January 10, 2027, timed to Friday, January 8, which would have been Bowie’s 80th birthday. Lightroom’s show page is taking bookings until January 10, 2027.

The same article also announced a run at the Warehouse at Aviva Studios in Manchester, UK, from Tuesday, December 8, 2026 to Sunday, January 10, 2027. In London, tickets start at £25 for adults and £15 for students and under-18s. Children under 3 go free at some performances, and a £2 fee applies per order (official website).

The Aardman show: A 50th anniversary with Wallace & Gromit and Shaun the Sheep

“Larger Than Life” celebrates the 50th anniversary of the British animation studio Aardman. Aardman’s announcement (March 10, 2026) announced performances from October 14, and the official website now lists it as “now showing.” It features Wallace & Gromit, Shaun the Sheep, Morph and others. Lightroom’s show page introduces it as a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the four-time Academy Award–winning studio.

According to Aardman’s announcement, the show combines memorable scenes from Aardman films, unseen archive material and new animation created for Lightroom. Lightroom’s show page says it depicts how Aardman’s films and characters are built up one small handmade movement at a time, and mentions the train chase from the Wallace & Gromit film “The Wrong Trousers.” New stop-motion animation was also made for the show, and the show page offers behind-the-scenes photos from Aardman’s studio in Bristol.

According to the show page, it is designed by Journey, and written and co-directed by Journey’s Nicol Scott and Kate Stanley, in close collaboration with Aardman’s production team. In Aardman’s announcement, Nick Park, creator of Wallace & Gromit and Shaun the Sheep, said it is a thrill to see the world of Aardman leap off the screen into this epic immersive experience.

The show runs as a loop of about 50 minutes with no fixed start or end time. Capacity permitting, visitors can stay for additional loops. Tickets are sold in 30-minute entry slots, and visitors are asked not to arrive more than 15 minutes before their booked slot. It is suitable for all ages, and young children must be accompanied.

Tickets start at £25 for adults and £15 for students and under-18s. Children under 3 go free at some performances, and a £2 fee applies per order. Aardman’s March announcement said families receive an additional 15% discount, and group (10 or more) and education tickets start at £10 per person. British Sign Language (BSL) interpreted performances are on Sunday, November 29, Friday, December 4, Monday, December 7, Saturday, December 12 and Tuesday, December 22. Relaxed showings are scheduled for Sunday, December 6, Tuesday, December 8, Tuesday, December 15, Monday, December 21 and Saturday, January 2, 2027.

Basic information: Dates, prices and venue for the two shows

David Bowie: You’re Not Alone

Dates: Wednesday, April 22, 2026 – Sunday, January 10, 2027 (*after the original closing date of October 10, evening performances through the end of 2026, per the June 2026 announcement)
Running time: About 1 hour
Venue: Lightroom (12 Lewis Cubitt Square, London N1C 4DY, UK)
Admission: Adults from £25, students and under-18s from £15, under-3s free at some performances (£2 fee per order)
Production: Lightroom (design: 59, a Journey studio)
Manchester run: Tuesday, December 8, 2026 – Sunday, January 10, 2027, Aviva Studios (Warehouse)
Official website: https://www.lightroom.uk/whats-on/david-bowie-youre-not-alone

Larger Than Life

Dates: Wednesday, October 14, 2026 – Monday, January 4, 2027
Running time: About 50 minutes (loop)
Venue: Lightroom (as above)
Hours: Monday, Tuesday and Sunday 9:30–17:30 (last entry 16:30); Wednesday–Saturday 9:30–21:00 (last entry 20:00) (*venue hours as listed on the show page)
Admission: Adults from £25, students and under-18s from £15, under-3s free at some performances (£2 fee per order)
Production: Lightroom, Aardman (design: Journey)
Official website: https://lightroom.uk/whats-on/larger-than-life/

Venue specifications: Four 11 m walls, the floor and 28 projectors

The venue is at 12 Lewis Cubitt Square, about a 10-minute walk from King’s Cross station. Announcements before its 2023 opening described it as a space about four stories high. According to the show pages, images are projected onto four 11 m-high walls and the floor.

Haworth Tompkins, the architecture firm that designed it, gives the exhibition space’s dimensions as 18.5 m wide, 26 m deep and 12 m high, with capacity for up to 380 people in a promenade format. Lightroom’s venue hire page gives a capacity of 340 and says it is equipped with state-of-the-art 4K immersive projection.

According to a November 29, 2023 announcement by Panasonic, which supplied the projectors, 28 three-chip DLP projectors were installed at the time. For the walls, 14 PT-RQ22K units project 4K+ images at 20,000 lumens; for the floor, 14 PT-RZ12K units deliver 12,000 lumens. For sound, according to the Bowie show page, the venue uses a HOLOPLOT spatial audio system. The number of speakers was not given in the official materials we could find. Case studies of projector and audio installations are also introduced in our article on the equipment behind immersive exhibitions.

Organization: Born as a joint venture between a theater company and a production studio

According to a February 9, 2023 announcement, Lightroom was a joint venture between 59 Productions and the London Theatre Company. Its executive chair was Nick Starr, who co-founded the London Theatre Company with Nicholas Hytner, and its chief executive officer (CEO) was Richard Slaney, formerly of 59 Productions. The London Theatre Company opened the Bridge Theatre in October 2017.

According to the same announcement, the venue was designed by 59 Productions in collaboration with Haworth Tompkins. The firm says it designed the venue as a “sister space” to the Bridge Theatre.

The current “About” page on the official website explains that Lightroom was founded by CEO Slaney together with Nick Starr. Shows are created in collaboration with its creative partner, 59, a Journey studio. 59 now operates as a Journey studio, and the two 2026 shows were also made by Journey teams. The backers are a group of investors led by Sir Leonard Blavatnik.

According to the official website, Lightroom’s shows have been seen by more than 2.5 million people worldwide and staged at venues in 13 cities across Europe, Asia, North America and Australia. Aardman’s announcement in March 2026 had given the figure as “more than 1.6 million.” The official website positions the London flagship as a place to test new ideas in a real-world setting. 59 Productions’ website notes that a second Lightroom has opened in Seoul, South Korea.

Past productions: From Hockney to dinosaurs and Matisse

The official website’s “About” page lists its productions as follows (dates are opening months).

• February 2023: “David Hockney: Bigger & Closer (not smaller & further away).” Created over three years in collaboration with David Hockney himself. According to 59 Productions, it runs 50 minutes, is narrated by Hockney and features new music by composer Nico Muhly.

• December 2023: “The Moonwalkers: A Journey with Tom Hanks.” Co-written by Tom Hanks and Christopher Riley, using archives from NASA’s Apollo program.

• November 2024: “Vogue: Inventing The Runway.” Created directly with Anna Wintour and the Vogue team, and narrated by Cate Blanchett.

• July 2025: “Prehistoric Planet: Discovering Dinosaurs.” Created with Apple TV+ and the BBC Studios Natural History Unit.

• April 2026: “David Bowie: You’re Not Alone”

• October 2026: “Larger Than Life”

The next show is “Matisse: Joy,” running from Wednesday, January 27 to Saturday, May 8, 2027. According to the show page, it traces the 20th-century artist Matisse’s 60-year career and includes new work by artist Yinka Ilori. It is directed by Journey’s Tom Wexler, who also worked on the Bowie show, and was made with advice from art historian Ann Dumas. Tickets start at £25 for adults and £15 for students and under-18s.

Editor’s perspective

Looking at the opening dates listed on the official website, from Hockney in February 2023 to Bowie in April 2026, new shows opened at intervals of eight to 11 months. By contrast, the Aardman show opened in October, six months after Bowie, and the Matisse show begins three months later, in January 2027. Since autumn, the venue has staged the Aardman show while continuing the Bowie show in the evenings, presenting two shows in parallel in one venue by dividing the day.

A system for taking shows beyond London is also apparent. The official website says its shows have been staged in 13 cities and positions the London flagship as a place to test new ideas. The Bowie show will open in Manchester in December while continuing in London. This suggests a pipeline in which shows premiered in London travel on to other cities.

The starting price has not changed. The 2023 announcement for the Hockney show gave prices from £25 for adults and £15 for students, and the two 2026 shows and the 2027 Matisse show are likewise from £25 for adults and £15 for students and under-18s. In the same venue, the subject matter has expanded from art to space, fashion, dinosaurs, music and animation. Overall trends in immersive venues abroad are covered in our article on immersive digital art facilities overseas.

Frequently asked questions

How long can the Bowie show be seen?

In London, bookings are open until Sunday, January 10, 2027. According to the June 2026 announcement, after the original closing date of October 10 there are evening performances through the end of 2026, followed by a full week of performances from Tuesday, January 5 to Sunday, January 10, 2027. It will also be staged at Aviva Studios in Manchester from Tuesday, December 8, 2026 to Sunday, January 10, 2027.

Can children see the Aardman show?

The official website says it is suitable for all ages and asks that young children be accompanied. Tickets for students and under-18s start at £15, and under-3s go free at some performances. The show runs as a loop of about 50 minutes, and visitors can stay for additional loops if capacity permits.

How big is the venue?

Images are projected onto four 11 m-high walls and the floor. Haworth Tompkins, which designed it, gives the space as 18.5 m wide, 26 m deep and 12 m high. According to Panasonic’s 2023 announcement, there were 28 projectors.

*Information as of October 25, 2026. Please check the official website for the latest information.

*Top image: A photo of the venue from the “Larger Than Life” show page, with storyboards and animation stills lining the walls (from Lightroom’s show page)

*This article was compiled by the TOKYO ART SPHERE editorial team based on announcements by Lightroom, Aardman and the official David Bowie website, and public materials from the designers and equipment manufacturers (as of October 25, 2026).

Text: TOKYO ART SPHERE Editorial Team