Thousands of individually controlled lights will fill one of Preston Park Museum’s exhibition spaces when Submergence opens on Friday 23 October.
The large-scale installation by international artist collective Squidsoup is designed as a walkthrough experience. Visitors will move through changing patterns of light, colour and sound rather than looking at a conventional display from outside it. The exhibition runs until Sunday 7 March 2027, giving families several months to see it rather than a single half-term window.
A Stockton invention seen through light
Preston Park is linking the artwork to John Walker, the Stockton-born chemist credited with inventing the friction match in 1826. The museum says the installation will invite visitors to think about how Walker’s discovery changed people’s relationship with portable light and fire.
That local connection is supported by the Science Museum Group, whose collection includes Walker’s day-book and records him as the inventor of the friction match. The group says Walker was born in Stockton-on-Tees in 1781 and began selling his “friction-lights” in April 1827.
Submergence uses thousands of suspended points of light to create sequences that appear to move around the audience. Squidsoup’s work has previously been shown across six continents, including at Vivid Sydney and Burning Man. The collective also brought its solar-powered installation The Power of Art to Stockton International Riverside Festival in 2023.
What visitors need to know
The exhibition is listed as open from 10am to 4pm and is suitable for all ages. It is a drop-in experience, but entry is included with either a day pass or an annual museum pass. Preston Park recommends buying passes online before travelling, particularly at busy times.
A day pass costs £8. Annual passes start at £12 for adults and £8 for children and concessions, with family options available. Stockton-on-Tees residents can receive a 20 per cent discount on annual passes when they provide proof of address. Children under three enter free. The pass also covers the museum, Victorian Street, gardens and exhibitions for 12 months, but not Butterfly World or the Teesside Small Gauge Railway.
Half-term activity around the opening
The opening begins a week of half-term activity at Preston Park. The Victorian Street will become Halloween Street, with autumn displays, a themed trail, storytelling and craft sessions. Separate events include Whitby Falconers on Monday 26 October and a screening of The Addams Family from 1991 on Tuesday 27 October.
The museum is wheelchair and pushchair accessible, with public lifts in the Spence Building and the Hall. Assistance dogs are welcome, and wheelchairs and walkers can be borrowed. Six disabled parking bays sit by the Park Café, around 150 metres from the museum entrance. Preston Park advises wheelchair and mobility-scooter users to contact the team before buying a pass because access to some parts of the is limited by space and fire regulations.
Submergence will be at Preston Park Museum, Yarm Road, Eaglescliffe, TS18 3RH, from 23 October 2026 to 7 March 2027. Full booking and access information is available through the museum’s website.