Popcorn machine finds new life as miniature gallery at M-Arts Precinct

AN old popcorn machine that once served moviegoers at Murwillumbah’s Regent Theatre has been transformed into a miniature art gallery, bringing together works from artists across M-Arts Precinct while preserving a cherished piece of local history.

The exhibition is now on display inside the repurposed popcorn machine at M-Arts Precinct, offering visitors a chance to peer inside and discover a tiny gallery filled with works from the artists who share the creative hub.

The exhibition was the brainchild of M-Arts artist Amelia Batchelor, who spotted the unused machine sitting near her studio and saw its potential.

The machine had become surplus to requirements after falling into disuse, but Batchelor was reluctant to see it disappear from the precinct.

“Troy, the owner, he didn’t really know what he was going to do with it,” she said.

 

“So he just said, ‘Yeah, go for it’, because I just thought, oh, that looks like a nice little miniature gallery.”

What began as a simple idea soon evolved into a project with deeper personal meaning.

Batchelor grew up around miniature art as her parents were involved in creating detailed displays of towns as members of a miniature society in Brisbane.

“There were probably 20 or 30 retired couples in the society and people who really loved miniatures,” she said.

While Batchelor had pursued large-scale sculpture, the popcorn machine unexpectedly rekindled memories of her parents’ passion.

“I just went, ‘Oh, Mum and Dad would love this’,” she said.

Batchelor said the exhibition quickly expanded beyond her own contribution, with enthusiasm spreading throughout the precinct.

“I just started with me,” she said. “I thought, I’ll get the two girls involved, as I always do.”

“And then everyone’s like, ‘Oh, yeah, I’ll do one’. And so now it’s everybody.”

The result is a collaborative showcase featuring works from painters, sculptors and other creatives.

 

To display the artworks, Batchelor built miniature frames and transformed the interior of the machine into a traditional gallery setting, complete with decorative touches and lighting.

“It just sort of felt like it needed to be a classical gallery, like a proper one,” she said.

The project has also ensured a familiar piece of Murwillumbah’s cultural history remains visible near the building it once called home.

“I think everybody who comes in here, the local people kind of go, ‘I remember that’,” Batchelor said.

“And the Regent is really like vintage cinema – it’s not been changed and turned into some kind of new thing.”

Batchelor thanked M-Arts Cafe & Bar and Regent Theatre manager Troy Stanley for his generosity in offering the use of the historical popcorn machine.