The design of the Centre for Film and Visual Arts in Kazimierz Dolny emerged from a multilevel web of concepts and associations concerning architecture, film, ruins and local landscape. It encompasses references to layout of baths of Caracalla, geometry of a movie screen, archaeological excavations and shape of a stone-pit, fragments of Vistula river landscape and principles underlying local architecture. The key concept concerns architecture as scenography, that unfolds a world of architectural illusion specific to each room, which are then assembled into building by means similar to movie montage.
Theoretical section of the thesis explores mechanisms of architectural perception employing concepts taken from film theory and ruin study. It adapts a notion of projection-identification to explain psychological processes behind a phenomenon of creating architectural meaning and recognize the role of imagination as its driving force.
As a result of the web of ideas and conclusions drawn in the theoretical section the Center for Film and Visual Arts building is designed as an object completely sunken in the ground, which roof is integrated with the surrounding recreational area and park. Barely visible on the walking level it acts as a horizontal facade visually connecting it to the river panorama.
Design's intent was to propose a festival/spa complex, as a statement in an ongoing discussion on the future of the quarry, resulting from a conglomerate of concepts taken from theories of film and architecture.
Full text of the thesis in Polish available here, as well as illustrations and summary both in Polish and English.
