(Dakar's) Temporary Cinema
A signal in motion
Cinema is a form of art which facilitates socialising. As it is easy to have a conversation about a film one has recently seen, cinema has a social function. This cinema shall be a signal; namely a place where people not only meet to watch a film but also to chat. For this reason the project’s aim is to create a new centrality in a district.
This concept of a flexible cinema includes the domestic people. Every time the cinema is rebuilt local people are involved in its construction; so for example by weaving the exterior textile skin of the building. This does not only offer jobs but also gives the opportunity to personalize the cinema for each place it is built.
FORM AND STRUCTURE
Dakar has a one of the biggest harbours in West Africa. Shipping containers are permanently used for the import and export of goods. That is why those containers are familiar in the cityscape of Dakar.The project’s purpose is to sustainable take advantage of unused containers. The containers are essential for this construction as they help to form a rectangular box which is stuck in the ground and points to the sky. The containers serve as the entrance and the exit of the cinema and help to maintain the under construction of the seat rows.
The angle not only supports the typical grade of a cinema’s projection room but also creates an open sheltered space which is used as the social zone: the waiting area, a ticketing counter close to the entrance and a bar/cafe close to the exit.
MATERIAL
The structure is draped with a textile skin curtain, which can be re-created every time the object is moved.
The textile industry in Senegal works well. There are many qualified craftsmen who can weave the curtains for the object. Each time the cinema is moved the local people are able to personalise their temporary cinema by weaving its curtain.
LOCATION
The cinema should be built in a central place in order to serve as a signal for getting people together. A possible location might be along the beach, close to Place du Souvenir, in the middle of the La Medina or on the Place de l’Independance.
