The Cinémathèque Dévoilée

Spring ‘21 | Critic: Juana Gomez

The Cinematheque Dévoilée, meaning the cinematheque unveiled, is an experiential hub for the consumption and creation of visual media. Privacy and display are explored through exterior apertures and the geometry is informed by the blocking of what is widely considered the first film: The Roundhay Garden Scene. Through this process, the moving image becomes a static diagram-turned-plan and then enlivened again in the built form. The 2-second Roundhay Garden Scene was recorded by French inventor Louis Le Prince and filmed at Oakwood Grange in Roundhay, Leeds. The clip was developed into a blocking diagram evocative of Bernard Tschumi’s Screenplay. Polygons defined the start and end location of each player, and were developed into closed shapes that lent themselves to form-making.