Open Village
Cinema for Jia Zhang-ke Art Center
Open Village is an arthouse renovated from a decommissioned factory. While the brick façade of the cinema established a visual coherence with the neighboring urban fabric, the cinema’s irregular form and polychromatic exterior instilled the creative space with vibrancy. This new landmark became the cultural destination for events within the village where the cinema is situated.
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Download Press Kit № 119593 Cinema for Jia Zhang-ke Art Center by Shimu Wang to access high-res images, essential texts, translations, and exclusive interviews—all in one.
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Open Village by Shimu Wang
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Cinema by Shimu Wang
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Shimu Wang Open Village
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Shimu Wang Cinema
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Open Village Cinema Press Releases
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Open Village Cinema Media Articles
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Unique Properties
The Art house 'Open Village' is named after the movie 'Rome, Open City', its Chinese name, the 'Seed theatre', is emblematic of prosperity and growth. The edifice spent its past life as a rural cement plant, the original structure is now preserved and encased within a new facade, which brick patterns and glazed staircase are carefully designed. The cement silos next to the main building are refurbished into a bookstore. It enriches the cultural and art scene of village.
Tags
Open Village, Seed, Cinema, Colorful glass, Glazed staircase, Red brick, Polygonal window, 86358 Short Film Festival, Lvliang Literature Festival, Jia Zhang-ke Art Center
Production Technology
To avoid the damages of the glass pattern after long-time exposed to the rain, light and touch, we chose to attach the pattern between two slices of glass instead of simply pasting film to the inside face of glass. Pierced brick walls ripple across the elevation to act as ‘brise soleil’ shading device to help hiding the functional opens in different dimensions.
Design Challenge
The glass staircases are the hardest part of the whole construction process. Limited to the budget, the inner framework, the shape of the whole staircases and even the shape of every glass piece all followed the manually completed model to be achieved. Meanwhile, every corner and edge of the glass pattern were carefully designed, matched and jointed which made the final staircase outlook unified.
Project Duration
The project started in March 2017 and finished in September 2019, which is located in Industrial Park of Creative Culture, Jiajiazhuang, Fenyang, Shanxi, China.
Operation Flow
Since Open Village opened to the public, it brought high quality cultural resources to the rural village where it located in. Annually organized 86358 short film festival, Lvliang literature festival and other common cultural activities attract artists and young people to this place. The colourful glass staircases also became an unique postcard of this village.
Research
Cultural resources have been funnelled into the urbanized areas instead of the rural areas where population and economic power is lower. The preservation of regional culture in rural villages is nearly impossible due to the scarcity of cultural venues. A self-sustaining operation model, and centralized provision of resources and programs are what it takes to develop a robust cultural venue. ‘Open Village’ encapsulates both of these qualities. This extra-ordinary cinema houses not only an auditorium, but also a bookstore and an extensive exhibition wall. It can accommodate both outdoor and indoor activities. The centralized cultural program ensures the efficient provision of resources to recipients, hence attracting a wider audience for the cultural experience. Apart from daily operation, extra revenue is generated from the letting the venue to event organizers. This extra stream of income will sustain the project in the long run.
Inspiration
'Open Village', as suggested by its name, is an open window on literature and film art to enlighten the sleepy farming village where it situated in. Pierced brick walls, polygonal glazings and the glazed staircase make walkways weaving through the outer shell occasionally, like sprouts growing through the cracks of a block of clay. When these elements come into play, the stone cold building is turned into an animated dynamic hub,which shows the plant to be rich of vitality and openness.
Image Credits
Image #1: Photographer Weiqi Jin, Open Village, 2019 Image #2: Photographer Weiqi Jin, Open Village, 2019 Image #3: Photographer Weiqi Jin, Open Village, 2019 Image #4: Photographer Shimu Wang, Open Village, 2019 Image #5: Photographer Weiqi Jin, Open Village, 2019 Video Credits: Photographers and Editors YANG Studio, Open Village, 2019
Project Overview
Open Village Cinema has been a Golden winner in the Architecture, Building and Structure Design award category in the year 2020 organized by the prestigious A' Design Award & Competition. The Gold A' Design Award is granted to designs that demonstrate a high level of innovation and a significant impact on their intended audience. Recognized as a major achievement by the A' Design Awards, these designs are characterized by their visionary approach and the exceptional skill of their creators. Winners of the Gold A' Design Award are noted for their ability to push the envelope in art, science, design, and technology, delivering solutions that not only meet but exceed expectations. These designs serve as benchmarks for excellence, encouraging further innovation and inspiring future generations of designers.
Golden Recognition
Shimu Wang was recognized with the coveted Golden A' Design Award in 2021, a testament to excellence of their work Open Village Cinema.
Shimu Wang Press Releases
Explore the world of Shimu Wang through our press releases, designed for media members to use freely and enrich your content. Unlock 1 press releases now, directly accessible to journalists.
Open Village: A Cinematic Revival in Rural China
Shimu Wang's 'Open Village' breathes new life into a sleepy farming village, transforming a decommissioned factory into a vibrant cultural hub.
Shimu Wang Newsroom
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