When it is about movie, people would tend to provoke heaps of connections and imaginations of it. The extravagance in palace of Tang Dynasty in Curse of the Golden Flower, the tranquility of bamboo forest in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, the bustle of old Hong Kong streets in The Echoes of the Rainbow, and all kinds of stories and emotions within the many scenes are all illustrated by the broad and blank 16:9 screens in theatres. A cinema ought to have all these different personalities within oneself, as the appreciation of movies is never limited to the boundary of screens.

The light that penetrates from the skylight on Vivo City at Foshan has lit up the bright view that is decorated by plainly black and white tones. The very first Emperor UA cinema has debuted under such a delightful scene, which foresees the cinema’s future path in China. Just as scattered pieces in kaleidoscope, the ceiling modules with triangle and rhombus patterns are letting light beams into the cinema, the first impression of the dazzling space has been started up as well. With the same rule of geometry, stainless steel strips are dissecting the white marble floor and reflecting the scene of flying paper pieces from ceiling to floor.

However, what is welcoming customers are irregular shaped structures made of black oak timber strips; it is only that the luminous signages hung on those structures remind people that this place is actually a cinema. One of tips of this polyhedron has extended and leading customers to the ticket box counter with similar appearance that is adjacent to it. The counter has punched out from ceiling then excessively merged with the TV screen behind where staffs stand, the fixture has exposed designer’s ambition on the forms and shapes in this project. The black tone here has crushed with the white tones in the surroundings and formed unusual contrast and balance in the space, which stuns people’s senses visually; on the other hand, the black oak finish has also released serene and classy ambience for interior.

Walking pass another set of luxurious and motional concession counter, on the far side of the lobby, there is the escalators area to theatres upstairs. Inheriting the dark-and-light-contrast from the lobby outside, the paper-scraps-looking white ceiling that seeps out light and the black oak finished fixture that depicts cinema’s big logo, they are forming a fancy space stuffed with origami when combining with the lobby area. The existence of rhythm that shocks spatially is the prelude that portrays every world of movies.

Once into the area of lobby outside the theatres, black has taken the lead since then. Along the wavy white marble corridor, the feature of black oak finish spread around most of the walls and big part of ceiling just as thunderbolt in interior, the feature also sticks around the poster light boxes large etched numbers on marble walls, whereas the soft light that slip out from the light troughs along feature’s edges is diminishing the overwhelming vibrant in the space.

The lighting features are not only bringing the elegance and contrast into the corridors, but also importing the liveliness. Black marble has already occupied most of the marble corridor in the manner of geometry; the cirrus looking white pattern on these marbles resembles “evaporating” white marbles, walking on it makes the feeling of stepping on smoke in the “crack of time and space”. At this point, the expectations for movies are expressed in both passionate and tranquil ways.

After entering the theatres, it is the beginning of another world, thus the expression of spatial theme has the rule changed here. The walls are fully covered by a series of hexagonal blue fabric features; colour scheme is changing from light to dark while traveling deeper into the interior, which is also foretelling the transmission from prologue to climax while audiences are going through the amazing world of movies.

The lighting that is necessary during the entry and exit of theatres are well hidden and blended into the hexagonal features, the balance between utility and aesthetic has been fulfilled, as well as responding the balance between light and shadow in lobbies outside. Nevertheless, carpet here is simply in the same pattern of oak strips array in the entry lobby, in addition with the different blue tones from the feature walls that represents transmission of storylines, here comes the link of dream and reality that is between inside and outside of theatres.
From the shopping centre to the cinema, we go through layers of eye-dazzling fixtures; waves of juvenile feelings hit us all the way. The thesis of the design project is to carry out the infinite novelty of movies by design theme with sci-fi sensation. However there is one point that is constant for innovation. Customer service as in star-rated hotels and caring hearts with respect are the objectives of the cinema. And the cinema will be a good example of combination of innovation with excitement and thoughtful services.

Designed by Oft Interiors