Never mind looking through the keyhole, Brighton residents now have a chance to see their town through a pinhole.

An exhibition opens tonight featuring hundreds of pictures of Brighton taken with one-shot pinhole cameras. The show is the brainchild of artist Dimitri Launder, who wanted to involve residents in a mass art project.

The golfball-shaped cameras were sold from vending machines in bars, hotels and nightclubs earlier this year. More than 100 people bought the £2 plastic image creators.

Each camera came with instructions and a return address, together with a promise that the results would be displayed in an exhibition at the end of November.

People were asked to take a picture which captured a flavour of what it was like to live in Brighton and return the camera to Dimitri.

The 26-year-old said: "I thought people would either find the vending machine seductive and be curious or just walk right past and ignore it.

"I hoped if they got a camera they would have to do something with it.

"Sending the camera off really did require a suspension of disbelief. People had no real way of knowing whether it was really a camera. With art these days, you don't know if you are getting the mickey taken out of you. It was really interesting how many people actually believed in it."

Many of the images sent to Dimitri, who organised the exhibition in association with Absolut Vodka, featured Brighton's seafront.

He said: "Some people seem to have buried the camera under the pebbles, some took abstract shots of the whole coastline, which are quite beautiful.

"Some are self-portraits but people have taken pictures of themselves in a way that's quite hidden, perhaps a picture of their shadow.

"People have taken pictures out of windows, there are some bar scenes and others have taken pictures of streets in the town."

Vanessa Kis bought more than 20 of the cameras and took a different picture with each. She said she loved the idea of getting back to basics.

She said: "Pinhole photography is beautiful in its simplicity. In an age of high technology, we are all zooming around the whole time and can't get enough done.

"This is getting back to something really beautiful and perfect."

Absolut Vodka chose Brighton as a venue because of its funky, creative image.

A spokeswoman said: "It's a fantastic destination. There's a really thriving scene and, for Absolut, that's the kind of place we want to be getting in touch with because it's so creative."

One of the pinhole camera vending machines has been installed as part of the exhibition so anyone who missed their chance can give it a go.

The exhibition is at the Start Gallery, Church Street, Brighton, until December 3.