The Film Room

Welcome to The Film Room!

Yes, the gas tower is a film star! There is no better way than a moving image to get a different perspective on something, and the films in our Film Room definitely achieve that - from Laurence Farmer's drone footage, which tends to take a vertical view, to Susan Rivers' photo sequence, "Going...", where it is the time and the weather that change from image to image. We hope to add more films soon.

Before You Go - by Tamar Chambers

Tamar's tribute to the gas tower includes her own vocal track and images, as well as photos of the peregrine falcons used by kind permission of Leslee Barron.

Simon's Sunset - by Leslee Barron

In 2019 I created a Facebook page called ‘Cumberland Road Gas Tower’ On it I asked people to post their photographs of the gas tower for me to paint.

Here is a basic short film showing sections of one particular painting, based on a photograph taken by Simon Peter French.

Going... - by Susan Rivers

Every day during Lockdown 2020, Susan Rivers took a photo of the gas tower from her window. The result is this time lapsed digital diary of the tower, which changes in appearance constantly in the changing weather.

Inside the Gas Tower - by Laurence Farmer

Very few of us have managed to get inside the gas tower, so Laurence Farmer's drone views give us a perspective that isn't available in any other way. In these two short clips, filmed a day apart, we get a completely different view of the symmetry of the tower. The first begins with the amazing patchwork of steel that is the gas tank itself, appearing like some ancient archaeological artefact as the drone slowly rises above it. A day later it snowed. As the drone descends into the tower, it really emphasises the circularity of the structure. Watch out for the tiny row of prints in the snow - the footprints of one of the resident birds.

Gas Tower Aerial - by Laurence Farmer

Laurence Farmer's drone footage gives a fascinating aerial view of the tower and its surroundings. The tower looks very geometrical from above and its presence dominates the houses around it.