The aim of this project, ‘Notes from Bloomsbury: 50 seconds later’, is to produce an interactive film map of the Bloomsbury area, as part of an ongoing collaboration between the Derek Jarman Lab and Birkbeck Institute for the Moving Image.

About the map

To make the map, we are asking participants to send their short films – movie snapshots – that ‘shine a light’ on a person, a place, a community, an activity or an object, located in the Bloomsbury area. The chosen films will be added to an interactive map of Bloomsbury, pinned to specific locations dotted around the area stretching between High Holborn and Euston Road, and between Tottenham Court Road and Southampton Row.

Gesturing towards the early films made by Lumière cameramen at the end of the 19^th century, each film on the map should be no longer than 50 seconds – a time sufficient to tell a story, record a sense of place or capture a unique moment.

The map is curated by the Derek Jarman Lab and Birkbeck Institute for the Moving Image.

Call to participants

Look around you, pick up your camera or smartphone, and send us your contribution to a mosaic of moving image works that together will form a multi-perspective portrait of Bloomsbury, its people, buildings, streets, and communities.

You don’t need to be a professional filmmaker – we are looking for authentic, original, creative films that ‘shine a light’ on any aspect of Bloomsbury life.

Your film can be serious or light-hearted, complex or simple, a one-off improvisation or a carefully crafted mini-classic!

Submission form