A new immersive exhibition brings iconic National Portrait Gallery pieces to Salford

An immersive new experience will bring some of the National Portrait Gallery’s most beloved paintings to MediaCity.

Stories – Brought to Life will explore the fascinating lives of people featured in the Gallery’s Collection whose stories have shaped the UK’s history and culture, from the Tudor period to the present day, from cultural icons to boundary-pushing activists both past and present.

Presented by FRAMELESS Creative in partnership with the National Portrait Gallery, the collection will open from Fri 2 May – Sun 31 Aug. It will combine the highest quality digital projection, Hollywood-style visual effects and the latest audio technology, along with specially created musical scores and creative narratives to shine a new light on each individual.

FRAMELESS has unveiled some of the sitters featured in the experience, each inspired by a portrait in the National Portrait Gallery’s Collection. Featured people include Winston Churchill, Charles Darwin, Queen Elizabeth I, Queen Elizabeth II, Ncuti Gatwa, Audrey Hepburn, Dorothy Hodgkin, Mai, Nelson Mandela, Emmeline Pankhurst, Grayson Perry, Mary Seacole, William Shakespeare, Amy Winehouse, Oscar Wilde, Virginia Woolf and Malala Yousafzai.

The FRAMELESS team, including production partner Cinesite, a leading digital Hollywood visual effects company, which has contributed to blockbuster films including the Harry Potter and the Marvel franchises, has worked closely with the expert curators at the National Portrait Gallery to tell the stories of some of its most loved sitters. The new experience brings together a rich tapestry of media, from archival content and photography to excerpts from powerful speeches and original animation.

Rich Storton, General Manager, FRAMELESS Creative, says: “Through this first-of-its-lind collaboration with the National Portrait Gallery’s curatorial team, we’ve reimagined each of the portraits, adding a fresh, exciting and emotional dimension to each of the sitters’ stories.

“Through excerpts of speeches, archival photography, original animation and a dynamic soundscape our aim is to entertain and captivate new audiences with these incredible portraits, bringing them to life through unparalleled immersive storytelling.”

Rab MacGibbon, Cross-Collections Curator, National Portrait Gallery, added: “The National Portrait Gallery is home to the largest collection of portraits in the world. Featured on our walls are some of the most remarkable people to have ever lived, who have shaped – and are continuing to shape – our nation.

“This immersive experience created by FRAMELESS is enabling the Gallery to share the Collection like never before. From Elizabeth I to Malala Yousafzai, we hope that the stories featured in the experience will really capture people’s imaginations.”

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Featured image credit: Antonio Pagano