By the People
Every picture tells a story, what's yours?
About this project
By The People: 150 Lifetimes is a permanent artwork on display in Alexandra Palace’s East Court for all to see. It is an ambitious project to preserve thousands of people’s memories and connection to London’s iconic Alexandra Palace, and was unveiled in May, 2024.
The project was funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and made possible by money raised by National Lottery players.
By the People, 150 Lifetimes
The giant photo mosaic measures 35 square metres and is constructed using photographs sent in by the public, showcasing a diverse range of personal stories and themes of identity, place, memory, family, heritage and culture. It is inspired by an original engraving of the palace created just over 150 years ago by J. T. Wood, a prolific London printmaker. Photographs were sent in by the public, showcasing a diverse range of personal stories and themes of identity, place, memory, family, heritage and culture. Interwoven are pictures from the Alexandra Palace archive celebrating the individuals involved in the key moments of history, innovation and local London life that have been part of Ally Pally’s unique century and a half of existence.
In addition to the permanent display at the Palace, By the People, 150 Lifetimes is also available to explore as a huge gigapixel image online in deep zoom. Zoom in and explore the collected stories of all those who took part from the comfort of your phone or armchair. Gigapixels are huge photographic images. They can be viewed on-screen in an interactive format, or as very large format prints with an incredible amount of detail. A gigapixel image contains one billion pixels, which is 1,000 times the size of a one-megapixel image, or equivalent to 1,000 megapixels.
1,781 photos collected
1,781 photos collected
The People’s Palace
Projects related to the programme were also carried in local schools, libraries and care homes, to ensure the local community had every opportunity to participate. Alexandra Palace was opened in 1873, having been designed as the ‘Palace of the People’, with the intended purpose to provide entertainment and recreation for the masses. Today the Park and Palace are run by a charity – the Alexandra Park and Palace Charitable Trust – which continues this mission.
In the news
ITV London News | 2024
'150 years in Photographs'
Time Out |2023
'Alexandra Palace wants your Selfies'
Evening Standard | 2023
'Artist to create Selfie Art'
BBC News | 2023
'Selfies wanted for Giant Artwork'
Explore our projects
Explore our projects
Alexandra Palace was opened in 1873, having been designed as the ‘Palace of the People’, with the intended purpose to provide entertainment and recreation for the masses. Today the Park and Palace are run by a charity – the Alexandra Park and Palace Charitable Trust – which continues this mission by hosting a programme of live music, sport, theatre, comedy, exhibitions and creative learning opportunities for the local community, as well as continuing to care for and restore the listed Palace and 196 acres of award-winning parkland. By the People is supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and made possible by money raised by National Lottery players.
Alexandra Park and Palace Charitable Trust is a registered charity no. 281991
“Alexandra Palace was built as the ‘People’s Palace’ so there’s no better way to mark our 150 th anniversary than celebrating the people who make Ally Pally what it is today. From first dates to marriage proposals, first steps to much-loved relatives, life-affirming cultural experiences and a feeling of home – it’s astonishing to see the breadth and depth of people’s memories, and the sense of belonging our corner of London has provided over the past century and a half. As the charity that cares for the Park and Palace, it is incredibly motivating to see the positive impact Ally Pally has had on so many people’s lives, as well as the positive impact people have had on the Palace. A huge thanks to all who took part in this project, and to the many more who visit, whose stories we weren’t able to capture. We look forward to moving forward together, ready to enjoy our next 150 years.”
Emma Dagnes | Alexandra Park and Palace Charitable Trust CEO
“There is nothing more exciting than being given the opportunity to create a site specific work on such a grand scale and in such a setting. I wonder what the original Artist who created the original miniature engraving 150 years ago would say if they saw it re-invented in this way!? Even with the power of digital technologies available to artists like me now, not much has changed except the tools, this work took many painstaking hours and weeks to make. I am grateful to everyone who submitted their pictures, as without their contribution the art would not exist.”
Helen Marshall | Artist | The People’s Picture
“We are delighted to support this project, which thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, has meant that people have shared their memories of Ally Pally. It is a fitting celebration for the culmination of its 150th year, and helps preserve these memories for future generations. It looks fantastically at home in the East Court.”
Stuart McLeod, Director of England | London & South | The National Lottery Heritage Fund | The People’s Picture