There’s no reception desk on the ground floor of Modern Art Oxford now. The gallery has been refurbished to accommodate a giant screen, which is showing a 70- minute film Déjà vu, shot on location at Rose Hill.

Commissioned by MAO, it is the work of Amsterdam-based artist Maria Pask who placed local people alongside professional actors to create this film. It is part of Art in Rose Hill, a three-year programme of art activities led by MAO on the Rose Hill housing estate. The programme was launched in 2007, thanks to a grant by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation.

Maria’s research for this task led her to 1950/60s copies of Rose Hill Roundabout, a community newsletter, edited by Norman Brown who celebrated the importance of local life, and promoted the development of a community engaged in political and social discussion.

The pertinency of these ideas is given a new lease of life through Maria’s film, hence the title Déjà vu.

The film presents a series of mini-dramas, all of which recall past community events that were described in the archived issues of Roundabout.

Although visitors may walk into the gallery halfway through the film, it doesn’t really matter, for though each mini-drama is linked with the next, each can be seen and enjoyed as a separate entity.

This film evokes the decade between 1960 and 1970 superbly, and certainly brings actors and residents together in a meaningful and entertaining way. Maria has used the Rose Hill Community Centre, the Scout hut, the primary school and allotments to create iconic spaces in which to shoot this film.

She created many of the props herself, such as the giant stick of celery and radish that are placed by the entrance to the gallery – these feature large in the allotment scene.

Déjà vu will be showing until June 13, entrance is free, which means visitors can keep popping in to view it in snatches if they wish.