Fred Pipes cheers up Brighton cinema

Brighton & Hove City Council has installed Art Deco images by artist Fred Pipes on the empty Astoria cinema site in Brighton.

The screenprints and digital images feature local landmarks in the style of 1930s posters and include an image of the Astoria cinema, specially drawn for this display. Other images on the building include Shoreham Airport, Embassy Court and the Seven Sisters.

The Shoreham Airport image was originally used as the cover of the Artists & Makers Festival guide, when Pipes joined in Worthing's open houses to exhibit at Thompson Towers. Fred Pipes also exhibits regularly at the Dragonfly House as part of the Brighton Open Houses. "I was very flattered when the council asked me to help with this project, particularly as the paintings fit so well with the Astoria’s history," said Pipes, "There are lots of great examples of Art Deco design and architecture around this area and I jumped at the chance to include the cinema in the collection."

The city council’s environment improvements team works across the city to reduce the number of unsightly buildings and has recently spruced up Preston Street and the former Charter hotel in the city centre and Upper Bedford Street in Kemptown.