I’ve just been to see it this afternoon. Sotherby’s have opened it to the public today and tomorrow.
I only have an IOS device with me and I haven’t figured out how to upload pics from IOS to the forum, so here is a link to a few photos to at least try to understand how it works a bit more:
https://1drv.ms/f/s!Ak3HU3AygNouhbwV2E51SdaPmNgAmwI have some cellphone video too but lighting isn’t good. As well as quite limited lighting, the piece is behind acrylic glass, and side views are limited by the support structure. But you are allowed to walk all the way around it.
My view having seen it wih my own eyes from about 1m away? The shredded canvas isn’t the original picture canvas. The vertical registration, together with the depth offset, says it can’t be, unless it’s elastic.
You’re taken into a dark room with the piece lit from above only in groups of about 30 or 40 at a time, with a 2 minute time limit.
Cameras beyond a cell phone were no allowed: I took an LX10 point and shoot pocket camera which has an f/1.4 lens on a 1” sensor, pretty much as good as it gets for low light in this form factor, but was told to put it away as soon as I took it out of my pocket by one of the five security guards in the room.
Of course
everyone was using a cellphone.
There was about a half hour wait when I went, and be aware that there is plenty of queue jumping whether or not you were entitled. Please, visitors to Britain, understand that queues are there for a reason, because we still have manners and respect for others, and self-entitlement in the queue department is pretty much asking for a firm verbal response.