| Creators | Marsh, J. |
|---|---|
| Description | 'Moving Pictures' was funded by Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) in collaboration with Historic England and co-led with architectural historian Kate Jordan. This project employed cross-disciplinary methods to examine the growing practice of reusing cinemas as places of worship. The project comprised two strands: the first was a broad survey of cinemas used by faith groups in England, which allowed us to construct a socio-historical overview of the practice. For the second strand of the project a series of sites were then selected for a granular-scale exploration of the tangible and intangible heritage of the community and their building. This culminated in a residency at the Zoroastrian Centre in Rayners Lane, housed in the former art deco Grosvenor cinema. Using the ‘site-integrity’ methodology, congregation members were actively engaged in the capture and analysis of their cultural heritage through a series of co-created film installations. These site-specific films were shared with wider audiences, offering an opportunity to reflect on this evolving heritage. One of the events, a combined film screening and workshop held at the Zoroastrian Centre, brought together faith groups based in other repurposed cinemas, alongside representatives from Historic England. By uncovering the role of faith communities in shaping and negotiating their own spaces the project will demonstrate that adaptive reuse of heritage buildings by diaspora communities is a practice that is culturally enriching, environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive. |
| Portfolio items | Moving Pictures at the Zoroastrian Centre - expanded film event |
| Moving Pictures at the Zoroastrian Centre Exhibition Catalogue | |
| Moving Pictures: reusing cinemas as places of worship in the diaspora | |
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| Year | 2024 |
| Keywords | Art-based methodology, adaptive reuse of cinemas, places of worship, faith communities, British heritage |
| Funder | Routledge and the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) |
