Moving Pictures
Funder: Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)
Moving Pictures: Reusing Cinemas as Places of Worship in the Diaspora explores how migrant communities in England have transformed former cinemas into vibrant places of worship. As part of the project, a broad survey and database of 101 former cinemas across England has been created by architectural historian Kate Jordan, documenting their reuse by a range of faith groups. Yet these acts of creative agency, rooted in ceremony, ritual, spatial transformation and everyday practice, remain largely unrecognised within mainstream heritage systems.
At the heart of Moving Pictures is the "site-integrity" methodology, which collaborates closely with faith communities to document this evolving heritage from an emic perspective. By adopting a co-creative approach, the site-integrity methodology acknowledges that “intangible cultural heritage can only be heritage when it is recognised as such by the communities, groups, or individuals that create, maintain, and transmit it” (UNESCO 2003). This means that no one else can decide for these groups or individuals what their heritage is without their recognition. Through this site-specific practice, Moving Pictures presents intangible cultural heritage as a living, dynamic entity, enhancing our understanding of how heritage is perceived and experienced in practice. Site-integrity demonstrates the benefits of adopting a holistic and inclusive approach to how cultural expressions are represented, a process that needs to be rethought or re-experienced in terms of a changing live space. Through co-created, site-specific film installations, the project challenges traditional notions of "British Heritage," reimagining it as dynamic, plural and inclusive, aligning with Hall’s (1999) vision of evolving social identities.
Events
Jashan Cermony - Main Hall
The installation in the Zartoshty Brothers Hall (former cinema auditorium) ‘performs’ the Jashan ceremony. Working in close collaboration with the congregation and resident priest, a well- defined framework for filming was established. A motorised camera rig was developed to enable a vertical movement across 360 degrees capturing the ceremony at varying speeds. For instance, the camera decelerates when focused on the priests in prayer and accelerates as it glides over the red carpet and architecture. Drawing inspiration from the cinematograph—an early cinematic device for recording and projecting motion pictures—the camera is then replaced with a projector of matching focal length, allowing a 1:1 ratio of the projected image to the architectural site. As the projector retraces the path of the camera, the device precisely aligns the recorded footage with the real-time dimensions and movements of the ceremony. This synchronisation of image and site highlights the architectural features while also producing holographic illusions of the priests in prayer. The path of the film/ projector connects the physical site with the spiritual practices without prioritising one over the other. Surround sound audio recordings of the priests’ recital further enhance the immersive experience.
Boi Cerrmony - Prayer Room
The second installation focuses on the Boi ceremony, performed in the Setayasht Gah, the former projection room of the cinema. Here, a small camera rig installed within the extractor hood captures an overhead view of the priest feeding the sacred fire with sandalwood (fragrance and fuel). The recorded footage is projection-mapped back onto the fire’s embers through a rig- mounted projector. The projection depicts the priest from above, feeding sandalwood into the fire using a metal ladle and stoking with metal tongs. This is accompanied by the sounds of the priest’s recital and crackling fire played through a directional speaker.