the bayeux tapestry

British Museum

‘Surrounded by darkness and picked out by finely adjusted lighting, the Bayeux tapestry shines’

★★★★★ The Guardian

★★★★★ The Times ★★★★★ The Independent ★★★★★ The Standard ★★★★★ Time Out

For the first time in almost 1,000 years, the Bayeux Tapestry has returned to England, presented at the British Museum as part of a landmark loan from France.

At 70 metres long, this extraordinary medieval embroidery tells the story of the events surrounding the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. Its presentation demanded an approach to lighting that would balance the needs of this exceptionally fragile historic object with the experience of viewing it as a continuous narrative.

Working alongside our long-term design partners Opera Amsterdam, we developed a series of lighting solutions to illuminate the Tapestry in a unique and highly specialised format. The Tapestry now rests flat in a purpose built 70m long showcase. This presented us with the challenge of lighting the precious display without causing glare or reflections for visitors.

Following intense testing and prototyping, we settled on a product made in the UK by Vexica. The lights were adjusted and then installed using a pully system to allow access without working over the top of the showcase. The lights are hidden from public view, but allow the Tapestry to be viewed with exceptional clarity, which has been widely commented on. We created a bespoke control system using DMX drivers and our own ETC lighting console to ensure timings and lighting intensity was uniform throughout the 9 month display.

We would like to thank all of the huge team that put this extraordinary show together and for all the support we have received along the way.