Long Island Cinema

This proposal for a Long Island Cinema embraces the illusory and phenomenal aspects of the cinematic experience and manifests them in a simple, fantastical gesture towards Manhattan. Three seemingly impossible cantilevers balance precariously over the water, appearing as if they are emerging from the river itself. During the day the superstructural cantilevers call to mind the industrial history of the site’s past, while at night they act as glowing beacons for the theaters. One enters the building by going down beneath the river, slipping under its velvety surface only to return upwards towards the apex of cascading spaces and programs. The exterior landscape peels up towards the sky, providing an ampitheater-like setting for outdoor movies. This experience is augmented through the employment of mechanical flowers, self-sustaining autonomous instruments which provide audio and glowing light at night. The landscape thus transforms into a shimmering, sparkling surface of illumination, shifting and waning in response to the human activity on the site.

This proposal for the Long Island Cinema is an iconic, fantastical, simple gesture, embracing cinema’s ability to make the impossible a temporary reality.