Ealing’s University of West London (UWL) brought visual storytelling to the historic Gillette Factory Studios in Isleworth last month (14 June 2025), where student work illuminated a massive 150 ft screen as part of the London Festival of Architecture.
The dramatic Art Deco landmark, currently being transformed into a state-of-the-art film and television production hub, provided the setting for the ‘GM100 – Gillette Factory screenings’—a collaboration between Hounslow Council and 180 Studios.
The event featured contributions from UWL’s BA (Hons) Photography and BA (Hons) Interior Architecture programmes.
Photography was showcased in three screenings: 10 Years, a retrospective spanning a decade of architectural and urban landscape imagery by past and present students; A4/M4 Heading West, a visual exploration of Hounslow’s Golden Mile by Course Leader Peter Bennett and An Ideal for Living, also by Bennett, investigating aspirational lifestyles as conveyed through architectural form.
Interior Architecture students premiered an original film crafted for the venue’s curved screen. Titled The Golden Mile; A Road Movie in Curved Time, the piece offered a cinematic journey through the Golden Mile’s layered history, present-day character and speculative futures.
Complementing the digital showcase, a printed exhibition of selected photography work was displayed at UWL’s Paragon House from 23 to 27 June 2025, alongside material from the MA Interior Environment Design course.
Student Aleksandra Bigoszewska said: “Being included in the screening felt validating and meaningful, like a moment of recognition that the work I have been doing since graduation resonates.”
UWL staff member and former student James O’Rourke added, “It was exciting to see my work presented on such an incredible screen.”
 brought visual storytelling to the historic Gillette Factory Studios in Isleworth lat month (14 June 2025), where student work illuminated a massive 150 ft screen as part of the London Festival of Architecture.){kind=link}