To be, or not to be: world-first exhibition of "living portraits" celebrates the best Shakespearean actors of our generation

Fusing classic portraiture with modern cinematography, a world-first exhibition of living portraits has opened in London, England.

This innovative inaugural exhibit, The Shakespeare Portraits, comprises ten photographs of some of this generation's greatest Shakespearean actors who have left an indelible mark on film, theater and our cultural landscape.

On display at the Red 8 Gallery, expect to hear Shakespeare's most beautiful sonnets, soliloquies and speeches from the moving portraits of the likes of Juliet Stevenson, Sir Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, Charles Dance and Harriet Walker.

Powered by StageBlock Studio’s proprietary new IP and ethical production model, each work is optimized for presentation as a physical framed digital work of art, seamlessly designed to sit among other traditional works.

Like with traditional portrait photography, each piece is entirely unique, crafted from one single sitting and a personal one-off performance that can never be repeated. Due to the subject's inimitable experience with the words of the Bard, this process took roughly an hour and 20 minutes per portrait.

The movements of the actors are subtle and uncannily realistic, and were recorded by a small crew before the images were refined during hours and hours of post-production.

Each portrait was made in collaboration with its subject, striving to capture their true spirit and create a deeply intimate connection with the viewer.

Sitting in the plush room surrounded by so much talent, at the touch of a button the observer can watch and hear Sir Derek Jacobi utter the iconic “To be or not to be” speech from Hamlet, a part he has played many times before.

Then turn around and see a world first: Sir David Suchet performing Macbeth’s famous soliloquy with the well-known line, “tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow…” a part he has never undertaken.

The ten performing portraits on show are unique collectibles, which will go on sale to individuals or institutions. The co-founders of StageBlock, Arsalan Sattari-Hicks and Francesco Pierangeli, are already planning a second volume of Shakespeare Portraits to be recorded in the new year. They also dream of extending the idea of living portraits to other writers, and other cultures, and putting the profits straight back into the performing arts.

The Shakespeare Portraits are available to view at the Red 8 Gallery, London, until December 06.

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