Drama unfolds at Omnijoi International Cinema, Shanghai

By Annie Aggarwal

Photography: Courtesy One Plus Partnership

Read Time: 2 mins  

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Awe-inspiring and augmenting the cinematic experience, Shanghai’s Omnijoi International Cinema envelopes its visitors in a world of drama!

Designed by Hong Kong based One Plus Partnership with an articulate, overriding theme throughout, the is inspired by the rails used for tracking shots in the filming process. A striking language of copper-coloured, fluorocarbon-coated metal tubes unfolds a rhythmic composition against contrasting black-flamed granite walls and floors throughout the cinema; running from the lobby and ticketing counters into the auditoriums and even the washrooms.

 

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Visitors first encounter a labyrinth of winding, overlapping tubes overhead on the ceiling as they enter the lobby. The convolutions achieve a purpose beyond mere embellishment, as they reach down to turn into capsule-shaped volumes for seating; some volumes broaden further in places to act as ticketing counters.

 

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In the washrooms, the ceiling ornamentation continues, with the tubes transforming into water taps, giving the visitors an opportunity to even use the elegant décor. As one proceeds into the auditoriums, the theme continues unabated yet unique; copper rail segments adorn large, dark gray acoustic panels standing in as works of art along the walls.

 

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Lighting is cleverly integrated with the bending and turning copper tubes. Elongated light tubes installed along the metal pipes illuminate the lobby and add to the drama factor. In the IMAX auditorium, extracted, bent and twisting sections of the tubes with lighting on both ends furnish the walls; pointing in different directions, these create varying lighting effects within the space.

The custom-designed upholstery is not to be left behind. Majority of auditorium seating in ochre interspersed with random gray seats, keeps with the copper and black colour scheme. The customised gray carpet too has yellow patterns that reflect the ceiling feature of rails in the lobby.

 

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This abstraction of an otherwise taken-for-granted filming equipment into an over-thematic cinema experience captivates as much as it offers a space detached from reality; enhancing both, pre-and-post movie experience.