For Hockney, photographic collages are interesting because they destroy the sense of fixed time and space inherent in a single photograph, splintering the view into a series of glances and more closely replicating the way we actually see the world. During the mid-1980s, the artist produced more than two hundred collages of standard color prints that were developed at his local photo shop. Each collage documents a specific event; this one resulted from Hockney's trip to Japan for a conference. It captures both the setting of the luncheon and the character and demeanor of the guests (including the artist himself, slyly identified by his place card and rolls of film).

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