Kanye West's first short film was shown on seven cinema screens surrounding the audience inside a pyramid designed by architects OMA at the Cannes Film Festival in France yesterday.
Called Cruel Summer, the film was shot in Qatar on a seven-camera rig specifically to be shown on this configuration of screens.
The temporary pavilion is elevated off the ground to reveal the backdrop of Cannes and the Mediterranean at the base of the pyramid while the audience sit on steps, immersed in the screens.
There's another screening today and the festival continues until 27 May.
We've featured a lot of work by OMA recently, including the stage set for an ancient outdoor theatre in Sicily and plans to convert a former theatre in Upstate New York into a performance institute.
We also filmed Rem Koolhaas giving an introduction to the Garage Center for Contemporary Culture in Moscow and reported on the completion of the China Central Television Headquarters in Beijing.
See all our stories about OMA »
Photographs are by Philippe Ruault, images courtesy of OMA.
Here are some ore details from OMA:
Seven-screen pavilion by OMA with 2x4 for Kanye West, unveiled at Cannes Film Festival
An OMA-designed temporary pavilion at the Cannes Film Festival was inaugurated today with a screening of Kanye West's debut short film Cruel Summer. The pavilion, with a design led by Shohei Shigematsu in collaboration with Michael Rock at 2x4, is a raised pyramid containing a seven-screen cinema invented by West's creative team, Donda.
The pavilion is designed to immerse the audience in a space defined by seven screens of cinematic proportions (17’ x 17’, 17’x30’’). Shot with a custom seven-camera rig in Qatar, Cruel Summer was envisioned for this space as a constellation of projections that wrap around the audience through the configuration of the screens.
Located along Palm Beach, the pyramid’s canopy is hemmed to open up a panoramic backdrop of Cannes and the Mediterranean while creating an effect of levitation above the red carpet. Filmgoers ascend into the pyramid along a continuous red carpet that widens into the 200 seat auditorium. OMA worked with Cannes-based production team Ar’Scene to design an optimized triangular steel frame to accommodate the pavilion’s unique technical requirements.
“The pyramid subtly distinguishes itself from the context of white event sheds in Cannes while achieving a structure able to suspend the complex screen, sound and projection installations,” partner-in-charge Shohei Shigematsu commented. “We are excited to be involved in developing this prototype for a new cinematic experience, together with other creative entities."
The project was designed out of OMA’s New York office with project architect Oana Stanescu in collaboration with Donda and 2x4, Inc. The pavilion will be open for two days of public screenings on May 24 and 25.