Hasta La Ideas

The conversion of a Soviet-era cinema into the Tselinny Center of Contemporary Culture by British architect Asif Khan is underway in Kazakhstan.

Set to open in the city of Almaty in April, the building will become a multifunctional venue for everything from art exhibitions to performances and film screenings, with a focus on supporting Kazakh and Central Asian creatives.

Khan‘s conversion of the Soviet cinema, which is the largest of its kind in Central Asia, began in 2018. Once complete, it will be Kazakhstan’s first independent cultural institution.

Khan’s ambition for the Tselinny Center of Contemporary Culture is to celebrate the cinema’s original architecture, which dates back to 1964 and “followed Soviet principles of rational modernist design, avoiding anything deemed excessive”.

“The Tselinny cinema was built in 1964 to a standard Soviet design for large panoramic cinemas,” said Khan.

“The new design largely preserves the concrete frame and massing of the building and retains its position in the city of Almaty.”

Tselinny Center of Contemporary Culture’s name draws on that of the original cinema, with the word Tselinny referencing the Russian word tselina, which means undeveloped yet fertile land.

Inside, its existing auditorium has been structurally reinforced, while the foyer and wings have been rebuilt due to them failing to meet today’s seismic standards.

Rebuilding the foyer will enable Khan to introduce level access between the building’s ground level and its surrounding landscape.

Externally, it will be defined by a facade of fibre-reinforced concrete panel that links up with an existing glass entrance. Some panels will be undulating vertical fins and others will be animated by petroglyph-like motifs in the form of windows and reliefs.

The aim of this facade is to juxtapose the modernist architecture of the original building, “creating a softening layer of whiteness which visitors walk through,” Khan said.

Meanwhile, its motifs are an abstract interpretation of an original sgraffito at the building by artist Evgeny Sidorkin, which depicts traditional Kazakh life.

The preserved 18-metre-tall auditorium is set to reopen with a ribbon of windows around at the ground-floor level, maximising natural light and outward views.

It links to the reconstructed wings, which have been converted into a gallery, workshop, library, office space and a bookshop.

Completing Tselinny Center of Contemporary Culture will be a rooftop terrace and restaurant, which pays homage to an area of Almaty once called Broadway.

Broadway was made up of parks, squares and landmarks that Khan said are “definitive of the city’s golden era as the capital of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic”.

“My goal isn’t to simply renovate Soviet remnants but to uncover a Tselinny that never was, enabling a future defined by the next generation of artists and audiences,” Khan concluded.

“Inspired by the ideas of the institution and its visionary programme, this space, both archaic and futuristic – cloud-like in its fluidity – offers a unique opportunity for artists to plant the seeds of transformative creative exploration.”

As part of the centre’s opening programme, there will be an exhibition encapsulating Khan’s transformation of the cinema, curated by historian Markus Lähteenmäki. It will feature alongside a varied programme showcasing works of Kazakh and Central Asian artists.

“We look forward to Tselinny making significant and positive contributions to the development of contemporary culture in Kazakhstan and Central Asia,” said Tselinny Center of Contemporary Culture founder Kairat Boranbayev.

“We are building a common space for the interaction and collective effort that will positively change our cultural landscape, making Almaty attractive for tourists and locals and stimulating an influx of capital and outstanding talent.”

Elsewhere in Almaty, Studio NAAW also converted a Soviet-era building to create the Fika restaurant.

In his home city of London, Khan recently completed a sinuous public boardwalk to Canada Dock.

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