Gravity: A Cinema Design Inspired by the Universe

Design Action's Award-Winning Project Transforms a Cinema into a Space-Time Experience

The concept behind Gravity was inspired by Einstein's theory of General Relativity. The designers at Design Action were intrigued by the idea of black holes, which form when gravity reaches its extreme, absorbing everything and distorting space and time. This idea led them to create a design that mimics the effect of a black hole, with countless particles flowing into a trajectory and forming a stacked light cove from low to high.

The Gravity cinema is located in Shanghai, China, in a building that was once the earliest airport in the country. The designers wanted to capture the sense of flight and weightlessness associated with the location, and to satisfy human fantasies about the universe. The design concept directly affects the layout and shape of the space, making the design unique and cinematic.

The design of Gravity is dominated by curved lines, which mimic the swirling motion of a black hole. The walls of the cinema are covered with flowing lines, combining gold and silver colours as feature accents. The lines twist and turn, forming the shape of rolled up leaves in the distorted space. The ceiling swirl design has a direct impact on the floor, the space planning, and the wall light trough design, making each space closely related to each other.

Creating Gravity was a technical challenge due to the complexity of the curved lines and the spiral ceiling design. The designers made a number of models to simulate the dynamics of vortices and to study the relationship between each ceiling swirl. The result is a design that captures a moment in space, leaving streamlined traces on the ceiling and wall.

The Gravity cinema is a testament to the creativity and technical prowess of Design Action. The design is not only visually stunning, but also provides a unique cinema experience that transports audiences into a different dimension. The project is a perfect example of how art, architecture, design, and science can come together to create a unique and engaging space.

Design Action's Gravity cinema is a bold and innovative design that pushes the boundaries of what is possible in interior design. It is a deserving winner of the Silver A' Interior Space, Retail and Exhibition Design Award, and a shining example of the power of design to transform spaces and create unique experiences.