On a recent trip to Paris, I visited David Hockney 25 at the Fondation Louis Vuitton and was particularly drawn to La Grande Cour, Normandy, a panorama of 24 drawings made at Hockney’s studio in France, capturing the arrival of spring, writes Cultural Comms Senior Account Manager Jean Tang.
He completed the drawings over 21 days, yet they cover about four years of time. It reminded me that not every story can be contained within a single frame. Just like in media relations – a field in which I’ve spent most of my career – narratives are built layer by layer with precision and strategic thinking.
Standing before the spotlit work that floats across the length of a darkened gallery, the viewer is immersed in the scene. There is no traditional vanishing point as we have come to expect. You’re not outside looking in at the scene – you are moving through the landscape. New perspectives emerge as we see things from different angles. In media relations, an announcement or soundbite presents a snapshot in a wider narrative. Building a campaign means considering how each element contributes to a cohesive, long-term strategy.
The work unfolds like a visual storybook, with one scene flowing into the next. Much like the Bayeux Tapestry (housed in a museum near Hockney’s studio), and traditional Chinese scroll paintings – both of which he cites as sources of inspiration – they invite us to step into the canvas. What do a 11th century medieval tapestry and a 17th century dynastic painting have in common? More than we might think.
In our work at Cultural Communications, we often consider how a story will evolve, how it will be interpreted across different channels. What resonates with one audience may not have the same impact with another. The value lies in knowing how to adapt the narrative while retaining its clarity and impact. At its core, communications is about shaping narratives and influencing perception, encouraging us to reach beyond the familiar and widen our field of vision.
