Architectural detail in Zoroastrian Centre, Rayners Lane
Funded by Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) in collaboration with Historic England.
Led by Kate Jordan and Julie Marsh at the University of Westminster.
Julie Marsh is an artist and researcher for CREAM (Centre for Research and Education in Arts and Media), a world-leading centre and pioneer in practice-based, critical, theoretical, and historical research in the broad areas of art, creative and interdisciplinary practice.
Kate Jordan is an architectural historian and co-convener of The Architectural Humanities Research Group which focuses on the historical and cultural processes and practices of architecture, addressing contemporary critical questions about architecture and its contexts.
Site-Integrity is a working methodology a particular but original mode of site-specific practice that potentiates a dynamic exchange between site, artist, device, and community.
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. The aim here was to assemble an architectural history of these buildings not as they were originally but of what they became. This is important, as many of these sites have been places of worship for almost as long as they were cinemas – indeed, one gurdwara in Coventry has been a place of worship for longer than it was a cinema. In looking at the different groups who are adapting former cinemas, it was possible to read demographic and religious shifts in late-modern Britain.
The second strand of the project was 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.
Through the survey, interviews and faith community collaborations we gained insights into where different groups intersect and how migrant communities connect with one another and with homelands. The information that we gathered was used to produce a policy brief for local planning authorities and a report that was submitted as evidence for a government inquiry on protecting built heritage.
Please visit this feature articles for more infomation:
Kate Jordan, ‘Gurdwaras, mosques, temples and churches: how faith groups are reviving England’s old cinemas’ The Conversation, May 15th 2024
Kate Jordan, ‘Theatres of change: rethinking cinemas as places of worship’ Future for Religious Heritage, March, 2024