Wealthy people can easily afford to own private home theaters, but that’s not the ultimate when it comes to movie theaters. The world is full of outdoor screens and entertainment systems, but none equals this marvelous floating movie-theater – temporary auditorium-raft – in the Andaman Sea, on the private island of Yao Noi, Thailand.
The project was designed by the fable architect Ole Scheeren, closely working with the Film on the Rocks Yao Noi Foundation. The screen is actually posed in front of limestone protrusions rising from the bottom of the Andaman Sea, with a gathering of rafts assisting it. The whole contraption was named the Archipelago Cinema.
The spectators hover above the sea, focusing on the moving images across the water displayed on the huge screen. The experience is truly unique. The idea behind this project was to appear like the Film on the Rocks Yao Noi Festival comes from a world totally different from ours. The movie-enthusiasts, which impatiently rushed to come here, from all over the world, have experienced a memorable event, with one of a kind cinematic techniques, on a superb shoreline.
The Thai festival is the work of Chomwan Weeraworawit, the owner of Six Senses Yao Noi. He has brought all sorts of designers, artists, actors and writers, from all over the Globe, to collaborate in realizing this unique proof of true cinematic. The event lasted for 4 days, featuring, besides movie-watching and auditions, discussions, exquisite dining and lounge, the whole place having worked like a resort of its own.
Tom Sachs has held a 101 workshop with the participants. The American artist from New York has talked about the compulsoriness of personal planning, as he calls it the “things to do” list. He’s also played studio films. The event was also a great occasion to watch a unique batik dying lesson presented by the fabled designer Waris Ahlumwalia.
Anyways, the list of events that had taken place during the Festival is quite long and memorable. The techniques used to build the stage and to lay out the cinema are quite original and interesting. The producers have employed rafts used by local fishermen to farm lobsters and tying wooden frames together with rubber straps to create blocks, encased in mosquito nets.
The ecological part of the project hadn’t been put aside, recycled woods and materials having been used, while the rafts themselves can be reused. The items are to be given back to the local inhabitants after the festival has ended.
[BornRich]
Wow.. what a movie theater in Thailand.. I would like to watch movie here for sure.. Very nice website you have 🙂