residents of Rose Hill in Oxford are set to star in a new film charting the history of the estate.

A project by artist Maria Pask will include a series of mini-dramas, inspired by archived issues of the area’s now-defunct newsletter Rose Hill Roundabout.

People will take on different roles to re-enact scenes from the estate’s past.

Ms Pask lives in the Dutch city of Amsterdam and had agreed to work alongside Modern Art Oxford on a new project. On a visito to the city she found copies of Roundabout in Oxford University’s Bodleian Library and decided to concentrate on Rose Hill.

She said: “They’re a fantastic insight into life on the estate during the 1950s to 1970s.

“On their re-reading, they seem to be an idealistic re-narration of the present. The content ranges from advertising and recording community events to front-page editorials.

“A picture of an active and optimistic community emerges – a community that aimed to be ‘the No 1 area in Oxford’ but which at the same time suffered from low socio-economic status and social problems.”

Filming will take place in Rose Hill on the weekends of February 27 and 28, and March 6 and 7.

Scenes will include a fashion show, bingo and billiards in the community centre, tug of war and tiddlywinks contests in the Scout hut, a dressmaking class and a ladies’ keep-fit session.

Ms Pask said that she had met estate residents to discuss her ideas and get them involved in the filming.

She said: “The issues that people were busy with then are the same as today.

“People wanted to meet up, have good transport links, garages, well-lit bus stops, good schools, well-kept gardens, no gangs hanging around, a sense of community, respect for each other, and to reduce a sense of isolation.

“I have already met many of the residents and they’re fantastic – helpful and interested and willing to take part.”

The project is part of Art in Rose Hill, a three-year programme of art activities led by city centre gallery Modern Art Oxford.

Organisers aim to “broaden and enhance the gallery’s relationship with the community through working with internationally recognised artists”.

The programme is funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation.

Modern Art Oxford director Michael Stanley said: “Maria Pask’s film takes the aspirations and social ideals of a bygone era and gives them a new lease of life.By recreating the past within the context of the present, she unites a collective memory and repositions the aspirations of old”.

Small segments of the dramas will be previewed on the Art in Rose Hill website before a full screening at Modern Art Oxford from Saturday, April 17.

For details of the film and other events, see artinrosehill.org.uk