“Cinema” is the title of one of the works
that most strikes visitors to the very recent exhibition devoted to
Russian Pop Art at the prestigious Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow. It
is an installation measuring the same as a good-sized room, with nine
monochrome, life-size figures sitting in the dark in front of an (imaginary)
screen. What is seen by the Shekhotsov’s spectators –
made of the material that earned the Artist the nickname of “Porolon”,
i.e. foam rubber – is not images from fiction but from real
life passing in front of the empty pupils of their eyes in the form
of the exhibition visitors. Like Porolon’s other works, the
installation means to provide food for thought and to be provocative:
unlike the “serious” themes and “noble” materials
of official art in the past régime, today a lightweight and
short-lived material such as foam rubber is used to “immortalise”
everyday actions, especially leisure activities, from the “new”
consumer life of the Russians, or of the class that can afford, for
example, to buy a dvd player, buy imported luxury goods or go to the
cinema. Cinemas, in particular those belonging to the latest generation
and above all in Moscow, are, in fact, one of the places that, together
with the shopping malls and “ethnic” restaurants, best
represent the new lifestyle. The case of VIP cinemas, like the Romanov,
which was discussed in issue no. 28/2004 of the “Giornale dello
Spettacolo”, p. 16, is emblematic – conceived like exclusive
boutiques, which offer the latest American blockbusters accompanied
by Italian cappuccinos and French wine – or that of the brand
new multiplexes paired with shopping malls bearing names that are
familiar throughout the world, such as that of IKEA (see issue no.
30/2003 of the “Giornale”). That the film theatre should
be a special place and, if possible, succeed in amazing the visitor
is a very widespread idea, which also inspires the renovation of existing
spaces. This is the case of the Baykal, a four-screen complex “reborn”
in 2003 on the site of a “classical” cinema in a dormitory
neighbourhood. Its transformation, brought about by the Architect
Igor Markin, has made the Baykal into a model to be learnt from: specialised
magazines quote it as an example to be followed. The idea was to make
the cinema into the most vital and “social” place in the
area, the highly populated Koptevo neighbourhood, which, incidentally,
is not well connected to the centre of Moscow. An initial choice was
to give the building a well recognisable style with strong visual
impact: the Baykal appears as a luminous parallelepiped made of glass
and steel, which allows the various activities going on to be observed
from the outside. Another criterion was to add other attractions to
that of the cinema. Thus, on the three floors above ground level and
in the basement, as well as the four screens with names dedicated
to the planets, there is also room for a restaurant, a cocktail bar
and another four cafés, one of which is “for children”
annexed to a play area where little ones can be left in the care of
play assistants, while their parents watch the film. And there is
no lack of play areas for adults, either, in the form of a billiard
room and a four-lane bowling alley. Another underlying principle is
the intention to offer services that project an image of high quality,
technologically advanced: from the Internet Café with its 32
work stations to the big screens that show television programmes and
advanced news of films in the bars. In addition there are the “fashion”
details or those designed to surprise the public: the menus in the
restaurants with an eye to Italian cuisine, to the extent of including
“panna cotta”; the bars selling foreign beer
at least 50% more expensive than Russian brands; the visitors finding
a huge, column-shaped aquarium in the hall, with real sharks in it
(which are periodically replaced when they grow too big for the tank).
Thanks to this range of proposals and to the programming, which also
comprises special events (from documentaries on motor-bike racing
presented to fans after midnight, to the premières of blockbusters
like Shrek, accompanied by events organised over several
days), the Baykal opens at nine in the morning and may close in the
middle of the night. “Having a good knowledge of your audience”,
says Irina Bestuzheva, Director of the Baykal, “remains the
essential element for success”. And it is to potential audiences
that the advertising and promotional initiatives for local schools
are directed, such as a series of free screenings for 1,500 children,
accompanied by pizza and soft drinks. Typically for the Russian market,
tickets vary widely in price according to the time of day and the
category of spectator: they range from 40 roubles (a little over one
euro) in the morning to 240 for evenings and weekends. They can be
bought over the Internet, where it is also possible to book a table
at the restaurant or a game of billiards and bowling. Everything seems
to work quite well, to the extent that the Atlantis Cinema Group,
a dvd distribution company, has decided to build a second complex
with three screens. Since the site chosen is to the north of Moscow,
it will be called North Pole. Elisabetta Brunella |