The Watershow Extravaganza

The Watershow Extravaganza is an attraction at Watermouth Castle in North Devon, built for the 1951 Festival of Britain before being installed in the theme park in the 1980s. The show choreographs water and coloured light to music played by a 1920’s mechanical organ. Using in-camera editing techniques in her film, Michael re- weaves together the elements of the performance by superimposing imagery. Creating a secondary layer of synaesthesia between light and sound, she evokes early 20th century experiments with colour organs. Michael continuously explores the contradiction of our contemporary responses to the past, and how vanished eras can be at once fascinating, outdated and slippery.

— Elsa Coustou, curator

UK, 2016
16mm film with optical sound, Mono, 1:1.33
10’30

Shot at Watermouth Castle, Devon

Camera, sound, edit, animation by Sophie Michael. Post production sound by Mick Richie. Neg cutting by Steve Farman. Telecine by iDailies. Lab work by Haguefilm BV.

With special thanks to Andrew Munks, Watermouth Castle and Tate Britain

Previous presentations

2025
Kinda Blu, exhibition curated by Simeon Barclay with works from Arts Council Collection part of Coventry Biennial: Obsessions, Possessions, Herbert Art Gallery & Museum

2024

Luminous Alchemy, presented by PARACME, Northwest Film Forum, Seattle, Washington

Liquid-Crisis-Submergence, Cornell Cinema, New York

2018

Spacial Shifting, screening as part of Capri by Night, Cologne, Germany, programmed by Lina Sieckmann and Miriam Gossing

Autoscopic Pneumatic Therapy, screening programmed by Laura Phillips, The Gallery, Plymouth College of Art

2017

Experimental Competition, 25th Curtas Vila do Conde International Film Festival, Portugal
Staged States, 30th European Media Art Festival, Osnabruck
41st Hong Kong International Film Festival, Hong Kong
New Visions Shorts, 60th San Francisco International Film Festival
Installation at Roundhouse Birmingham, Flatpack Film Festival 2017, Birmingham

Why Analogue?, UCA University for the Creative Arts, Farnham

2016
Second Annual Report, Camera Obscura Film Society, Hotel Petaluma, CA Berwick New Cinema Competition: Green, and Installation at St Aiden’s Peach Chapel, 12th Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival
Wavelengths 3 : Post Performance, 41st Toronto International Film Festival

Trip (the light fantastic) : Sophie Michael : Art Now, Tate Britain, London
The Lost Weekend, The Liberated Film Club at Close-up Film Centre, London Analogue Recurring, Lo & Behold Gallery, London

US / Canada Print hire:

Canyon Cinema Archive

Install view at Trip (the light fantastic) : Sophie Michael : Art Now, Tate Britain, London