Cave paintings are normally associated with prehistoric man, who drew creatures such as mammoths and sabre-tooth tigers.

But artist Thomas Allen gave the concept a modern twist when he turned a Brighton art gallery into a temporary cave and created wall paintings from drawings made by visitors.

For four days Mr Allen, an award-winning self-taught artist, sat in a darkened corner of the Fabrica Gallery in Duke Street and created his work of art by the light of a handheld lamp.

Visitors to his “cave” were invited to contribute their own drawing and watch the artist at work.

Mr Allen, whose works have been exhibited at the London Science Museum and the Royal College of Art, said: “The creative process became a quiet spectacle.

“The project treated the gallery as a modern-cave and took the form of a contemporary cave painting.”

The idea was inspired by the Surrealist technique of automatic drawing, and by inviting visitors to produce their own drawing there and then Mr Thomas hoped to “reflect the collective unconscious of the community in and around the Fabrica Gallery”.

The Contemporary Cave Painting was part of Fabrica’s Making Spaces project, which offers artists the chance to try new ways of working and using its space.