Pandaemonium at Hestercombe: Julien Temple – A Life in Film

Julien Temple – A Life in Film

This September, Hestercombe House will host a unique exhibition celebrating the life and work of acclaimed filmmaker Julien Temple, as part of the celebrations surrounding the 25th anniversary of Pandaemonium.

Previously exhibited at Somerset Film’s Engine Room in Bridgwater, Julien Temple – A Life in Film brings together a fascinating collection of memorabilia, imagery and film-related material charting the career of one of Britain’s most distinctive and influential directors.

Temple first came to prominence through his work with the emerging punk scene, creating groundbreaking music videos and films for artists including the Sex Pistols, before going on to work with some of the biggest names in music and entertainment. His career has encompassed music videos, rockumentaries, feature films and acclaimed documentaries, always characterised by an energetic, visually inventive approach.

The exhibition offers an insight into this remarkable body of work and the creative world behind the camera, celebrating a career that has continually blurred the boundaries between music, film, popular culture and documentary.

For Hestercombe, the exhibition has an especially strong connection to Pandaemonium, Temple’s 2001 feature film about the relationship between poets Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth. Shot extensively across Somerset, the film captured the dramatic landscapes of the Quantock Hills and Exmoor that inspired the poets themselves.

Hestercombe played a small but memorable part in the film’s production, with a key scene filmed at the Pear Pond in 1999. Twenty-five years later, the film returns to Hestercombe for two special screenings in the atmospheric wood-panelled dining room on Saturday 26 September, at 2pm and 7pm.

The exhibition provides an opportunity to explore Julien Temple’s wider career before experiencing Pandaemonium in the very landscape where part of its story was brought to life.

Julien Temple – A Life in Film will be on display at Hestercombe House during September and October.

For information and tickets for the Pandaemonium screenings, please see our What's On listing.