During the busiest media moment of the year, Apple celebrated creativity with a gift to Londoners by creating the largest free display of art in the UK over the Christmas holidays.

David Hockney, one of the world’s greatest living artists, partnered with Apple, to create a Bigger Christmas Trees, made on iPad. A unique product demo at a never before seen scale with a bespoke projection model created to show the artwork in its finest form.

A free-to-view art installation of an original artwork by David Hockney drawn entirely on his iPad. Showcasing both the power of iPad and Hockney’s step by step process the artwork aimed to become an unmissable part of London’s Christmas attractions.

Apple wanted to go beyond the expected at Christmas, to make not just an ad, but an experience for all Londoners and all those visiting the capital.

The challenge was create a national moment of pride with an innate product story to prove that great technology can enable, amplify, and inspire artistic passion. Hockney was challenged to create a piece that had the wow factor for Christmas, using his tool of choice - the iPad. Using Apple owned channels, the ambition was to unveil the trees to the world and the nation simultaneously, with a tweet from Tim Cook to kick off the proceedings along with a local Switching On event attended by Hockney himself.

Battersea Power Station is an enduring icon of the London skyline situated directly next to the River Thames. At 100m tall, it provided the perfect canvas to showcase David’s work.

During the month of December, the iconic towers transformed into two giant Christmas trees and showed the development of David’s process on iPad using Apple Pencil.

The stunning 10-minute animation ‘Bigger Christmas Trees’ transformed the famed chimneys into a free public artwork, illuminating the London skyline. David’s creative iPad process was a huge part of the execution, and viewers could see his drawing as it evolved, magnified on a giant scale. “Battersea Power Station is such a beautiful building, I wanted to decorate it in a way that I hoped would bring joy and hope to Londoners”, said Hockney.

The breadth of PR across social and both national and international news channels built an awareness of iPad that cut through, making it one of the most talked about Apple moments of the year.

The piece resonated both nationally and internationally as outlets celebrated David Hockney's latest creation, lauding the work as “fairytale-like”, “spectacular”, “beautiful”, and “instantly iconic”.

The large crowds that visited Bigger Christmas Trees at Battersea Power Station, got to experience Hockney’s creative process played out at huge scale - a process that highlighted both the simplicity and accessibility of drawing on iPad.