Archipelago Cinema: a floating cinema in Thailand
Introducing to you an architectural masterpiece. The unique open-air floating cinema called Archipelago Cinema was built in 2012 for the Thai Film on the Rocks Yao Noi Festival, which has been held in this location every year since then.
A lobster farm as the model for a luxury cinema
The auditorium, which rotates in the direction of the sea was designed by the architect Ole Scheeren, who comes from Germany but lives and works in Beijing. Archipelago Cinema is built on the basis of techniques which the local fishermen use to build their floating lobster farms. Recycled materials were used, from which a series of individual modules was created, allowing flexibility of the unit for use in the future. This is also a structure which allowed the cinema to travel to different seas and to bring luxury film projection to new waters.
A double experience: art on the silver screen and dramatic scenery
The perfection of the cinema itself lies in the fact that it can be situated in surroundings which enhance the audience’s experience. The audience can look forward to a combination of a high-quality film and art created by the surrounding scenery. In Thailand, the cinema has been set in the small and impressive lagoon Nai Pi Lae, which is surrounded by high rocks rising out of an inky blue sea in which the light from the cinema screen is reflected. The audience, which is transported to the cinema in boats, can thus immerse itself in the plot and at the same time in the natural beauty which creates a luxurious backdrop for the experience.
Thanks to Archipelago Cinema, Ole Scheeren has taken his love for projects which are not architectural in nature one step further. He has managed to give a new, alternative and entertaining dimension to watching a film. Within the framework of the festival, the boat moved around the world and in the end anchored in Thailand where it was donated to the local Yao Noi community.
