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Before the formation of the Exploding Cinema the most active experimental/Underground film clubs in London were David Leister’s ‘Kinoclub’ formed in 1987 and Ken Macdonald’s Reel ‘Love’ which moved to the squatted Cooltan Building on Effra Road, Brixton in the summer of 1991.
JULY 1991
Stephen Houston organises first film group meetings at the Cooltan Building.
WINTER ’91
The original Cooltan group starts screenings in the Cooltan Cafe under the name the Cinema Cafe. Group comprised : Stephen Houston, Kathy Gibbs, Duncan Reekie, Danny Holman, Jenny Marr, Anne Marie Barlow, Anthony Kopiecki, Laura Hudson, Suzanne Currid, Jennet Thomas, Lorelei Hawkins, William Thomas and Lepke B. After several months of fortnightly shows the constitution of the group and all the concepts, politics and style of the show were fully developed and the name EXPLODING CINEMA was adopted after endless voting and mucking about! Audiences average 30-40.
SPRING TO SUMMER ‘92
The show moves to LAS CASAS, a vegetarian cafe in Clapham. Anne Marie and Laura leave the group. Donal Rouane, Andre Stitt and Katya Rossini join.
AUTUMN ‘92
Stephen Houston leaves the group and returns to Australia.
John Carr, Andy Lowe and Tara Babel join.
Audiences average 100-150.
WINTER ’92
LAS CASAS closes down and the EXPLODING begins to look for a new venue. Meanwhile the group stages a one-off show in a squatted Cafe in Southampton. Lorelei Hawkins leaves the group, Paul Tarrago joins. Booklet page from November and 17th December First Anniversary shows can be referenced in Stefan Sczelkun’s opus by clicking here
SPRING ’93
The EXPLODING show moves to the JUGGLERS ARMS, a pub with a huge back room in the backstreets of Borough.
William leaves the group. Mick Farrelly and Colette Rouhier join. Audience average 200-250.
SUMMER ’93
Licensing problems at the Jugglers force the EXPLODING to leave. In August they stage the LIDO SHOW, an all night extravaganza in a squatted Brixton swimming pool which attracts an audience of over 2000! In the wake of this success Caroline Kennedy, Robyn Conway, Silvy Da Silva, Gisli Bergman, Ros Grainger and Rob Stanley join the group. Despite TV famously documented the event – see it in the window below.
In September the group stage a one off show in Dublin to an audience of 700.
AUTUMN ‘93
The EXPLODING moves to the UNION TAVERN, a pub in Camberwell. Katya leaves the group and moves to Belgium. Kerri Sharp, Mark Pawson join the group. Anne Cooper and James Stevens begin intermittent involvement with the group. Kathy, Jenny and Susanne start to slowly drop out as their other committments take over. Audience average 200-250.
OCTOBER ’93 – FIRST GENERAL MEETING
Attended by Kathy Gibbs, Duncan Reekie, Danny Holman, Jenny Marr, Anthony Kopiecki, Suzanne Currid, Jennet Thomas, Caroline Kennedy, Robyn Conway, Silvy Da Silva, Gisli Bergman, Ros Grainger, Rob Stanley, Mick Farrelly, Paul Tarrago, Colette Rouhier, Donal Rouane, Andy Lowe and Mark Pawson. The meeting was called to reform the constitution. A new constitution was drawn up and adopted at a SECOND GENERAL MEETING a month later. Around this time Fiona Lord joins the group.
SPRING ’94
One off show with VISION COLLISION in Manchester. The group leaves the UNION TAVERN and rents an office in an artists studio in Camberwell. Donal Rouane leaves the group.
SUMMER ’94
EXPLODING tour of Northern Germany with the FILMGRUPPE CHAOS from Kiel. One off show at the ZAP CLUB in Brighton followed by all day/all night show at Station Chambers in Farringdon.
AUTUMN ’94
After internal conflict Anthony Kopiecki, Suzanne Currid, Andy Lowe, Rob Stanley and Jenny Marr leave the group. The group reforms the constitution and reconstitutes itself as the EXPLODING CINEMA COLLECTIVE. Members : Danny Holman, Jennet Thomas, Caroline Kennedy, Duncan Reekie, Silvy Da Silva, Gisli Bergman, Ros Grainger, Paul Tarrago, Colette Rouhier, Kerry Sharp, James Stevens and Mark Pawson.
At the end of October the reconstituted group stages two shows in the derelict St. Johns Church in Brixton. In November the group collaborates with Katya Rossini’s new Belgian group KINO TROTTER to stage KINO FLASCH FLOOD an all night extravaganza just outside Brussels.
WINTER ’94
Xmas show at the RIVOLI BALLROOM in Brockley.
SPRING ’95
The show moves to the LOUGHBOROUGH HOTEL pub in Brixton, an extensive club space with 2 bars and a stage. The show becomes monthly. Robyn leaves the group.
Danny, Mark and Mick slowly drift out of group activities. Danny subsequently moves to Prague and sets up an Underground cinema club. Sheik, Andy Smith and Andy Johnson join the group.
EXPLODING CINEMA branch opens in Brighton.
Inspired by the EXPLODING shows Philip Ilson and Tim Harding found the Halloween Society film club. Later in the year Steven Eastwood forms the Omsk film club.
SUMMER ’95
One off summer show in a CIRCUS tent at a park in Catford.
Gisli Bergman and Ros Grainger leave the group.
Rouane steals the group’s video projector.
AUTUMN ’95
The show moves to a disused school hall in CATHERINE GROVE, Greenwich.
The RITZY CINEMA re-opens in Brixton as a multiplex and the EXPLODING begins monthly shows with late night features. One off show at TRANSGRESSIONS experimental music festival in Farringdon. The group leaves Catherine Grove after three shows.
WINTER ’95
Ritzy shows suspended. EXPLODING teams up with KINO TROTTER for a two week tour of Belgium and Holland with one off shows in France and Luxembourg. Final show in Amsterdam to set up local branch of EXPLODING. Silvy Da Silva leaves the group.
SPRING ’96
Monthly Ritzy shows return with new format of short film with mystery feature. One off show at Stoke Newington squat as part of Hackney Anarchy week.
SUMMER ’96
One off show at SUBTERRANIA in Portobello, West London.
One off show in the garden of the DUKE OF EDINBURGH PUB in Brixton.
The Kinoculture film club forms at the Horse Hospital in Russell Square.
AUTUMN ‘96
Duncan Reekie, Colette Rouhier and James Stevens launch VACUUM #1 a two hour video compilation of work shown at the EXPLODING SHOWS. Thomas Zagrosek joins the group. Doco on London No Wave groups from Vacuum.
WINTER ’96
After a series of meetings with the no wave of film clubs that emerged out of the EXPLODING’S five year history, the group takes a leading part in VOLCANO (Nov 8 – 23) the first International London Underground film festival since the sixties.
SPRING ’97
Colette, Duncan and Jennet team up with Danny Holman to stage a one-off show in Prague, Czech Republic. Regular shows begin at the George IV pub in Brixton in March. Stefan Szczelkun and Sandra join the group.
SUMMER ’97
Spectacular one – off out door show on a factory roof in Peckham, audience around 300.
WINTER ’97
Small one-off show at the Anarchist Bookfair, Conway Hall.
Second Volcano festival. Exploding VOLCANO SHOW in warehouse space in Fashion Street E1.
SPRING ’98
Collete, Duncan, Jenet, Paul and Thomas travel to Germany for a micro tour in Frankfurt and Cologne.
SUMMER ’98
Regular shows move to a Community Centre near the Oval which is christened the Cine Shed. One off show in gothic theatre in the Wilson’s Annex of Camberwell School of Art.
AUTUMN ’98
Return to the factory roof in Peckham for another huge extravaganza.
WINTER ’98
The Third and largest VOLCANO FILM FESTIVAL is held at the Oval House Theatre complex in Kennington. [see review by Stefan Szczelkun and fundraising show footage]
SUMMER ’99
Regular EXPLODING shows move to the Union Tavern, Camberwell.
One off show at BLUE, a railway arch in Brixton.
AUTUMN ’99
Fourth Volcano festival, this time a D.I.Y. festival. Final event is a collaboration of all the groups at 333 Club in Hoxton, Shoreditch [see some Volcano pages]. Ben Slotover of the Shaolin group is invited to join EXPLODING due to his video projector wrangling prowess .
SPRING 2000
Regular shows move to the 1001 cafe in Brick Lane. Angel Daden joins the collective.
SUMMER 2000
Regular shows move to the Hatcham Social Club hall in New Cross deep in South London.
Autumn sometime… seeping like the stench of a sleazy political party… leaked onto the screens of the masses… Maldoror – the Last Film Ever Made…
AUTUMN 2000
Someone stops compiling the chronology for a while. Do you, dear reader, remember anything from this time at all?
2002
Regular shows continue at the Hatcham. EXPLODING CINEMA outlasts the London Film and Video Development Agency, launched 1992 and restructured as Film London during a shake up of the national funding structure: Arts Council forces all regional arts boards to give Arts Council all of themselves – buildings, people etc, or else. Film Council created out of Arts Council Lottery Film Dept, lumps of the BFI and some other things like British Screen. Stefan Szczelkun completes his Ph.D, Exploding Cinema 1992 – 1999, culture and democracy.
AUTUMN 2003
EXPLODING CINEMA 12th Anniversary celebrated with monster free show at Limehouse Town Hall, audience 300 . Regular shows at the Hatcham Social Club continue, average audience 150-200. Duncan Reekie completes his Ph.D on underground film, later published as Subversion: The Definitive History of Underground Cinema.
2004
Area 10 Project Space and EXPLODING CINEMA mount the SHUNDAHAI event at Area 10, Peckham [clip]. Audience 300. Crowd drinks the bar dry by 10pm, leading to expensive but successful scrabble to resupply.
Matt Lloyd, Peter Thomas and Maisoon Rehani join the collective, Thomas Zagrosek leaves. Regular shows continue at the Hatcham Social Club, average audience 150-200.
JANUARY 2005
EXPLODING show in Brisbane, Australia, staged on a long verandah with the Other Film group.
FEBRUARY 2005
Sophia Kosmaoglou joins the collective.
SUMMER 2005
Special show at Conway Hall, and the last Time Out to include an EXPLODING blurb with listing until February 2009. Duncan Reekie and Peter Thomas participate in the ‘Cultural Consecration and its Discontents: Arts Council v. Film and Video Artists’ Organisations 1975-present’ plenary at the notorious Screen Studies Conference.
AUTUMN 2005
Regular shows continue at the Hatcham Social Club but to dwindling audiences. Ben and Kat leave the collective (not that Slotover one).
JANUARY 2006
Second EXPLODING show in Brisbane, Australia, on the roof of a warehouse with the Other Film group. Audience remain in seats despite rain, and no one is electrocuted.
SPRING 2006
Last show at the Hatcham Social Club in March.
A show at Area 10 Project Space in Peckham, as part of the Node-L festival.
Paul Tarrago and Jennet Thomas leave the collective.
SUMMER 2006
EXPLODING CINEMA return to East London for three shows at Hoxton Hall. Thirsty audience challenges Hoxton Hall’s alchohol provision.
Level 10 show at the Peckham Multi-story car park as part of the Peckham festival.
WINTER 2006
Albany Theatre show. Maisoon Rehani leaves the collective.
Morgan Paton turns up through the torrential rain with a clutch of 16mm footage under his arm. Becomes a regular member. Check his portfolio of altivities at Morganico
2007
Regular shows start at the Half Moon Pub, Herne Hill plus special shows at the Temporary Autonomous Art Event [photos] and the Mindsweeper benefit at Climate of Change.
Amanda Egbe joins the collective.
Duncan Reekie launches his book, Subversion: The Definitive History of Underground Cinema influenced by and featuring extensive coverage of EXPLODING CINEMA. See commercial here.
Even another show in Brisbane, Australia in January with the Other Film group in a large backyard [clip].
2008
EXPLODING CINEMA completely unaffected by Arts Council England’s record number of defundings, simultaneous to its record block grant from the government.
Regular shows continue at the Half Moon Pub, plus special show at the Collision Festival, Area 10, Peckham.
Elvira Zaera Tamargo and Kieran Micallef join the collective.
SPRING 2009
Regular shows continue at the Half Moon Pub.
Contemporary signs of the Apocalypse: Time Out ‘recommends‘ EXPLODING CINEMA, Reekie and Thomas invited to the Xperimenta ’09 festival by the Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona to dispute the utility of consecrating film as Art, accepting state patronage for that purpose or any other, etc, and the Guardian Guide features EXPLODING. Things return to normal with another diss from Time Out.
Special show in Malta hosted by Kinemastic.
Special screening of the San Francisco Disposable Film Festival [photos], itself filmed, also premieres the EXPLODING CINEMA doco Five Years of Nights.
WINTER 2009
EXPLODING CINEMA celebrates its 18th Birthday with a determinedly obscene and violent programme at the Half Moon [photos].
James DC does a Resonance FM special on the EXPLODING theory.
2010
Regular shows shift to the Cross Kings, Kings Cross. January show [photos] includes new rant from Duncan Reekie.
Rose-Marie Kivijärvi joins the collective.
SUMMER 2010
Abolition of the Film Council, re-engorgement of BFI and continuation of government bribes to ‘British Film Industry’ all announced at same time.
EXPLODING again hosts the Disposable Fim Festival [photos, video 1, 2, 3, 4], shifting it to the Utrophia Project Space after the Cross Kings is forced to close.
During a show at the Elefest [photos], EXPLODING is accosted by Radio 4 staff.
WINTER 2010
Regular shows move to The Others, Stoke Newington [photos, video]. Radio 4 broadcast a special on EXPLODING CINEMA. EXPLODING participates in the Pullit group 20th Anniversary show in New Cross [photo].
2011
Regular shows continue at The Others [photos 1, 2, video 1, 2], along with our third hosting of the Disposable Film Festival [photos].
EXPLODING CINEMA celebrates 20 years without stars, funding or taste at the Dogstar, Brixton, on 29th of October [video 1, 2]. Two floors of underground mayhem ensued…
2012
Regular shows continue at The Others [photos 1, 2, 3, video], plus special shows at Tapescape [photos, video], TAA [photos], the Anarchist Bookfair [photos] plus a massive show at St James ex-church in Hatcham [photos 1, 2, video 1, 2, 3].
EXPLODING CINEMA presents the Disposable Film Festival at the Cinema Museum [photos].
Adam Hodgkins joins the group.
Sophia Komaoglou completes her PhD The Politics of Art on Exploding Cinema, aesthetic autonomy and institutional critique.
2013
Regular shows move to the Canterbury Arms, Brixton [photos 1, 2, 3, video], EXPLODING CINEMA present the Disposable Film Festival at the Cinema Museum [review] and the Sheffield Doc/Fest [photos], throw a big show on the MS Stubnitz [photos, video 1, 2] despite Secret Cinema staging a flash mob outside during set up, and stage worskshop at the squatted Lansdowne community centre [instructional video 1, 2, 3]. Claudia Tomaz joins the group.
2014
A couple of shows at the Peckham Liberal Club [photos, promo video] after the Canterbury Arms is condemned to redevelopment. Two shows in Peckham on 14th March and 25th April.
EXPLODING CINEMA launches a new zine at the DIY Cultures day at Rich Mix on 26th May [photos, video].
On 9th August: Exploding held an all day and into the evening event at Cody Dock in London. Workshops in the afternoon gave way to a screening on board the dry docked River Princess in an amazing corner of Industrial Lea Valley. The year closed out with first shows in two venues that would host many more in the coming years: The annual screening of the Disposable Film Festival on September 26th at The Cinema Museum and the final show of a very busy year on 7th November at the Ivy House in Nunhead.
2015
6th Feb: Ivy House
10th April: Ivy House
30th May: The Cinema Museum
18th July: A second event at Cody Dock
7th-8th August: Supernormal Festival at Brazier’s Park, Oxfordshire. Two screenings for kids plus the Saturday evening slot in the Vortex Film Tent. Installations around the buildings and woods.
25th September: The Cinema Museum (Disposable film fest show)
6th November: Ivy House
2016
23rd July: Ivy House
1st October: Disposable show @ the Cinema Museum
29th October: Anarchist Bookfair after party
5th November: Ivy House bonfire night show.
2017
1st July: Cinema Museum
9th September: Horse Hospital
30th September: Disposable show @ Cinema Museum
2nd December: Horse Hospital
2018
24th February: Cinema Museum
31st March: Cinema Museum
21st April: Horse Hospital
26th May: Horse Hospital
6th October: Cinema Museum
10th November: Cinema Museum
15th December: Horse Hospital
Sophia leaves the group.
2019
Joe Robinson joins the collective
9th February: A return to The Others for a one off show.
30th March: THE DAY AFTER show at Planet Cheek, Bermondsey A twelve hour event comprised of workshops, installations, live performances, DJs, a menu of Anarchist Archive hors d’oeuvres, plus of course, a main dish of spicy EC fare – all in reaction to the first attempt at Brexit withdrawl.
18th May: Horse Hospital show with Kate Arnold singing and dulcimer hammering.
15th June: Horse Hospital
27th June: The Printworks, Hastings
Peter Thomas returns to Australia after almost 20 years of loyal service!
19th October: At the invitation of Genetic Moo, EC opens the NOW Digital event as part of Margate’s Now Festival.
9th November: A successful return to the fabulous Cinema Museum.
30th November: A second Cinema Museum screening in a month. The audiences getting larger each time.
2020
29th February: The Exploding Cinema Sells Out! Our first event of the year reaches the Cinema Museum capacity by 7.30pm and for the first time in many a year, we have to turn people away at the door! Booklets run out, people have to stand, the venue’s lovely cakes are devoured but the bar remains well stocked. Immortal Machinery are the live act. The audience stayed until the end!
May 9th: The first online EXPLODING show happens – ISOLATION INSPIRATION! EC takes advantage of the burgeoning online facilities and runs an epic 6 1/2 hour show. Screened were films made in response to the pandemic which had engulfed the world and their makers joined us in our ZoomRoom for a global chat. Several people, including Stephen Houston in Australia (see 1991 above), who were EC members/film-makers/performers in the 90s joined us online as well as many of our recent, current and hopefully future collaborators.
May 23rd: A second online EXPLODING show within two weeks of the first! For the sake of eveyone’s sanity the DIGITAL DETONATION programme was trimmed down to a manageable 3 hours.
June 6th: A third COVIDEO EXTRAVAGANZA in a month! OBS, Zoom & YouTube enable our boffins to cast the good ship Exploding Cinema assuredly adrift into the choppy waters of an apocalyptic rearrangement of C21st life…
SAT, 8th August NETFLUX and SHILL online screening.
SAT, 12th September EXPRESS YOUR SE15 – an online collaboration with the Peckham & Nunhead Free Film Festival. Featured much work from SE15 residents.
Further online shenanigans continued on SAT, 7th November DARK TO LIGHT
2021
Saturday 16th January – BACK TO THE FUTURE: NEW NORMAL #2 – The first EXPLODING show to be picked up by a giant ape and have it’s neck snapped… but probably not the last.
Saturday 6th March saw yet another online screening: THE TRUTH VARIATIONS with our David presenting. Film-makers attended live from Russia, Berlin, Italy and the American mid-west making for a truly international show.
SAT APRIL 10th: Anticipating the iminent and long-awaited lockdown lifting the Exploding Cinema went to the gym to thrust a few squats. You can see our scores here: LIMBER UP
Stefan Sczelkun publishes a paperback edition of his legendary thesis on the early years of the Exploding Cinema. You can pick up a copy here:
WEDNESDAY 29th September, yes Wednesday; due to busy returning to new normal commitments our final purely online show of the year went out mid-week. An extraordinary occurrence!
SAT 30th October – Back to (new) reality: our first ‘live’ show in 20 MONTHS! The Cinema Museum, having survived property developments (so far), neglect, floods, petitions, COVID and their main projectionist’s retirement, was pleased to welcome us back and made everyone feel alive again. Luckily their ‘new’ projectionist has been updating a few things and between all the CM and EC volunteers we managed to hybridize our screening to include overseas film-makers appearing on the big screen. First from Nebraska, followed by Moscow, Portugal then later attendees in US and Australia chatted live with our audience in real time. We crossed the International Date Line whilst remaining in Greenwich (well the Elephant anyway), passed throught the veil to the Otherworld and then wound back Big Ben in time for the shopping forecast (infernal waters).