Emerging Artists Film Commissions on the Big Screen
Films commissioned as part of the Reimagining the Film Archives project
21 Jan 2025 - 09 Mar 2025
10am-5pm Tuesday to Sunday
Visit the Media Lab gallery and see two newly commissioned films by Arun Sood and Megan Roberts. Each film presents a distinct interpretation of the moving image collection and engages with the themes of power and class. Together, they give unique perspectives that explore broader aspects of human experiences through memory, identity, and community. Find out more about each commission below.
More info
These films are free to watch and run on a loop in Media Lab gallery. Arun Sood's film 'Shanka, 2025' is 6 min 0 sec and is looped 4 times, starting on the hour. Megan Roberts' film 'In conversation with Plymouth Hoe, 2025' is 8 min 10 sec and is looped four times starting on the half hour.
Arun Sood, Shankha, 2025
6 mins 0 sec
Shankha is an artistic work that create a narrative and collective memory between two historical film archives: a missionary documentary about post-partition India and a 1972 news report about displaced Indians or Ugandan Asians relocated to camps in Heathfield, Devon. Using the symbolic conch shell (Shankha) as a metaphor, Sood explores complex stories of migration, displacement, social division, and national identity. By combining spoken word, new musical compositions, and original archival audio, the piece creates a sonic memory that bridges different communities impacted by partition and its lasting effects.
Megan Roberts, In Conversation with Plymouth Hoe, 2025
8 min 10 sec
In Conversation with Plymouth Hoe is a layered exploration of community and identity, charting the ways generations have found joy and connection on Plymouth Hoe. Through the dynamic interplay of archival footage and contemporary voices, it reveals how shared spaces have and continue to foster resilience, reflection, and renewal.
Image credits
Banner image: A composition of stills from Shankha, 2025 by Arun Sood and In conversation with Plymouth Hoe, 2025 by Megan Roberts.
Image#1: Still from Shankha, 2025 by Arun Sood
Image#2: Still from In conversation with Plymouth Hoe, 2025 by Megan Roberts.