Double Take

As The Mill Press is a cross-city project, based in both London and Manchester, we have decided to explore the similarities and differences between the two cities. Double Take will present a photograph of each city taken on the same day, at the same time, of a similar subject. To begin, we both visited our local cinemas on Friday 25th February; The Cornerhouse and The Rio.


Photo by J.Panatti

The Rio is situated on Dalston Kingsland highstreet, east London. It was first opened as the Kingsland Empire in 1915, and with its 1930s facade it is now of of the last working art deco cinemas in the city.


Photo by A.Mostyn

The Tatler News Theatre is perhaps the last working classic cinema in Greater Manchester. Built in May of 1935 as a 'drop in' cinema by Oxford Road Station, it has gone through a few names and genres including censored films as the 'Tatler Cinema Club'. It is now been part of Cornerhouse since 1977. With a move now planned for Cornerhouse, will Tatler's legacy continue? Heres hoping.

John Stezaker at Whitechapel Gallery

Last week I visited the John Stezaker’s exhibition at the Whitechapel Gallery in east London. Stezaker’s work involves collages of photographs which create illusory, surreal and often humorous juxtapositions. Each wall in the gallery is devoted to particular themes - including the marrying of famous faces, film stills with missing characters and 1940s beauties with faces hidden behind natural scenes.





The simplicity of the work is its key appeal, and its strong graphic element is at balance with the surrealist humour. After viewing countless Stezaker collages, one does find them somewhat transmutable. Nonetheless, the strength of his visual statement is enough for me to research him further. I look forward to exploring his published work, including Tabula Rasa and Masks.



The exhibition is on at Whitechapel Gallery until March 18.

See whitechapelgallery.org for more details.

All pictures courtesy of Whitechapel Gallery