Echoes: Paignton in Motion

They wonder if walls could talk... well, what happens when walls dream?

For three days in Autumn 2025, as the darkness descended, the walls of Paignton Picture House were our canvas. Projected at huge scale was a celebration of cinema, collaboration and of Paignton. Every thirty minutes, using massive projections and silent disco headset technology, a story of film lit up the walls of one of the oldest cinemas in the world. Archive footage, steam pistons, gears, engines and the magic of cinema all merge into a spellbinding narrative, dissolving into contemporary imagery.

Footage of the cinema as it once was, curated and edited by local artist Kelly Bryant, full of excited punters, laughter and suspense, showcased just how important this building was to the local people. Before a breath could be taken, my contribution explored what happens when the real, dream and imagined worlds begin to blur. “Let us dream together, of fairy tale worlds and impossible happenings, of a cabaret for all and a space where no one is excluded... Yet, as running away to the circus is an ever-distant dream, are we even further from realising a space we truly belong to? This surreal vision was followed by Steve Sowden’s exploration of the ever-present quiet melodies of Paignton’s benches, offering the new collective noun: A Silence of Benches – benches synonymous with a sleepy seaside resort, a place to reflect, rest, laugh, cry, a place to meet, to recall and make memories, to mourn and to fall in love

This ambitious and glorious project was designed, created and realised by The Media Workshop, who collated a unique experience, showcasing the history of our cinema, the magic of moving image, and the essence of Paignton then and now.

The Paignton Picture House kick-starts into being with the birth of film. A giant rotating zoetrope brings the facade to life as a motion picture machine. Through its internal machinery this contraption reflects and echos the surrounding area. We reflect on the past and the present, before gently putting the building to bed for its long hibernation ahead of its grand opening next year.

Imagery and creation from my contribution was inspired by the digital work Still Suspended

Creative Team – Hugh Malyon, Steve Sowden, Jennifer Noice

Dramaturgical Support and for lending a voice – Sam Parker

Creative Producer – Nathalie Palin

Hats-off to – The Media Workshop (Tim Dollimore/Tristan Albon) and fellow Paignton artists Kelly and Steve

Special Thanks – Becky Ilk, Sophie Amos, Sally Claire, Gareth Wolf, Hamish Fletcher-Cooney, and the wider WideOpen Team

Still Suspended is part of a new series of digital artworks from Turner Contemporary

Echoes: Paignton in Motion was part of WideOpen and Torbay’s Cultural Development - Paignton Picture House is a collaboration between Torbay Council, Paignton Picture House Trust, Torbay Culture, South Devon College and the Agatha Christie Festival Limited. It is supported by the Cultural Development Fund (CDF), the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) fund, administered by Arts Council England.