We are pleased to announce that Moving House Films has been commissioned to deliver a project that celebrates the changing faces of Diss, in partnership with Diss Corn Hall, DesignerMakers21 and No 8 Market Place.

For this commission, artists were invited to respond to John Betjeman’s short film Something about Diss made in 1964, using it as a starting point to celebrate change through the legacy of people who have lived and settled in Diss since that time. We want to capture voices of people who have made Diss their home, from permanent residents to those who have relocated for more transient reasons. The project should aim to uplift and provide a platform for these many different voices, especially in the context of Diss’ aspiration of becoming a Town of Sanctuary.

Moving House Films will deliver a participatory film project that invites residents to retrace their footsteps down memory lane. Through collaborative and playful re-creation, this project will capture Diss as shaped by personal and collective memory.

Putting the community at its heart, the project will invite participants to step into the past – not as passive observers, but as active storytellers. Local residents will have an opportunity to take part in the filmmaking process on all levels – as production designers, performers, costume makers or narrators.

Moving House Films were struck by the playfulness of the narrative voice and are keen to channel this; like Betjeman, Diss residents will become narrators as they navigate the town, re-enacting their stories as other community members step in to reconstruct and play characters from each other’s memories, transforming individual recollections into shared histories. In putting together these co-created, re-created scenes, the artists will embrace the spirit of the home-made; publicly staging playful, low-budget and rough-and-ready reimaginings from found and recycled materials. The audience will be invited to delight in the act of making as much as in the final image.

Shaped entirely by the participants, the final film will blend documentary, performance, and artistic recreation, culminating in a public screening and exhibition that stitches together the many layers of Diss and promotes intergenerational empathy.

“We’re absolutely delighted to have been given the opportunity to launch a project in Diss. We hope that our participatory film practice will enable residents to communicate, preserve and delight in each other’s memories, as they work with us to stage co-creations in the streets they all share. We’re excited to work with ECDP, and the three fantastic partner organisations in Diss, who will be central to the project. Stay tuned and get involved!” Jonathan and Louis, Moving House Films

“We are very excited to work with Moving House Films on a project that will bring together and amplify the voices of Diss residents, supported by three excellent host partners who already have a strong presence in the town. This is the first time Essex Cultural Diversity Project, Diss Corn Hall, DesignerMakers21 and No 8 Market Place have collaborated, and we can’t wait to see the results” Essex Cultural Diversity Project

Images: Creative starting points for the project – still from Something About Diss, John Betjeman (1964); still from After Life, Hirokazu Kore-eda (1998)

About the Artists

Moving House is a collaboration between two artists, Jonathan Ben-Shaul and Louis Norris. Together they create community-focused visual investigations into people’s relationships with place. Their socially engaged practice plays with traditional documentary formats, blending interviews with interdisciplinary elements such as movement pieces, live performance, and public interventions. These works are presented in multi-projector screenings, installations, and site-specific events, often in disused or unexpected spaces. Central to their approach is engaging communities, uncovering extraordinary local stories, and crafting bold portraits of people in their landscapes.

A well-made building will last a lot longer than people do, and the uses and meanings of the built environment change with every generation. Much of their previous work has looked at these dynamics, from Kharkiv (Ukraine), where Soviet rule is written in concrete across the cityscape, to Basildon (Essex) where lost memories and unrealised dreams are stored in disused buildings. They can’t wait to explore these dynamics in Diss. As this ancient market town aspires to become a town of sanctuary, the built environment is the point where deep history meets new meanings.

Jonathan is a community artist who runs craft-based arts programs in the UK and
beyond with his lantern parade company, Light Whale International. In this role he co-ordinates the delivery of community craft workshops, light installations and large scale street performances for audiences in the UK, France, Italy and beyond. He has extensive experience leading participatory workshops, including filmmaking
and carpentry workshops for young people. His work is rooted in co-creation, using hands-on, collaborative processes to help communities explore their stories through visual and spatial practices.

Louis is a filmmaker, researcher, and editor whose work explores how people shape—and are shaped by—the built environment. His films have been shown at PÖFF, the London Short Film Festival and the BFI Future Film Festival. He has collaborated with academic institutions and arts organisations on research-based films as a freelance filmmaker, including Dancing the Fine Print (University of Cambridge) and an interview-based study on international students’ perceptions of London (LSE). He has worked in cinema programming (The Garden Cinema, London), digital art (ZINC, Marseille), and projection design in the UK and Iceland. He works part time at the Institute of Art and Ideas, editing talks and debates on topics ranging from particle physics to psychedelics.

Past projects by Moving House Films include:

What Will Become of Basildon? (2023)
Commissioned by Creative Basildon, funded by Arts Council England (pictured above left)

What Shall We Do With These Buildings? (2022)
Made during a residency in 2022 in Ukraine at Kharkiv School of Architecture and Kharkiv Literary Museum (pictured above right)

Welcome to the Orchard of England (2025), Commissioned by Leominster Priory, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund

About the host partners

Diss Corn Hall is an impressive Grade II listed building which was originally built as a corn exchange. It is now a thriving arts venue offering a wide range of quality entertainment, art exhibitions and a developing outreach programme for the people of Diss and the surrounding areas. The Corn Hall also provides free to access activity such as ‘Time With Friends’, a cafe run by volunteers for people living with dementia. The Corn Hall’s popularity with audiences from across the region has resulted in it being shortlisted in the Norfolk Arts Awards People’s Choice Best Venue. The Corn Hall is run by the Diss Corn Hall Trust which is a charity dedicated to the promotion of the performing arts. www.thecornhall.co.uk

Operated by Diss Heritage Trust, No 8. Marketplace’s objective is to build local heritage, developing arts in the town for the betterment of all. It is run by a group of local volunteers who have come together and re-claimed the empty former Beales store over the market place in the heart of town.A main focus of No.8 Marketplace is to provide local craft makers and artists with physical retail space where they can engage with their communities. No.8 has Take 5 café and a renovated 200 year-old ballroom that is used for live music, DJ club nights, craft markets, film performances and dance classes and it is also an arts performance rehearsal space. No.8 is working locally to develop a Diss visitor marketing campaign called ‘Diss Is Our Story’ to further enable visitors to come to the town to enjoy the creative richness provided by Diss Corn Hall, Designer Makers 21 and No.8 Marketplace and the amazing heritage and stories of our town. no8marketplace.co.uk

designermakers21 is perched at the top of the Heritage Triangle, on St Nicholas Street, opposite the Corn Hall. Over the last ten years it has become known for its unique mix of excellent craft, educational interest and warm and welcoming atmosphere.There are twelve artist and crafters who have their studios at No 21 and visitors are welcome every Thursday, Friday and Saturday to speak to members about their processes and to see them at work. In addition to the 12 studios, there are two galleries; a rolling, quarterly, showcase space; a large exhibition/workshop area; and facilities for those early in their creative careers as well as those more established but seeking to benefit from the atmosphere that being at dm21 fosters.This shared, creative and vibrant centre embraces traditional and contemporary craft practices with an inspiring range of textiles, print making, sculptures, mosaics, jewellery, tailoring, weaving and carpentry. Members aim to educate and involve the community in all things craft while continuing to excel in their fields of expertise, providing their visitors with an experience to remember, empowering people to ‘Have a Go’. designermakers21.co.uk