Parasite Cinema Pops Up In Auckland Stairway

We love parasites, and although we’re always looking for great examples, it’s been a long time that we reported about nice examples of parasite architecture and urbanism. But here we’ve one! Dezeen reports about a small movie theater as an extension to a regular building in Auckland, New Zealand. This small parasite cinema was made by the architects of OH.NO.SUMO and uses the steps of a staircase as seats. Right on the side of a busy street, the theater has place for approximately seven people.

The neat construction is made out of a timber frame covered with three layers of fabric that provide a waterproof exterior, and a real cinema-like experience. OH.NO.SUMO designed the cinema in response to the lack of social interaction happening at bus stops and launderettes on the corner.

“Members of the public retreat individually into the media offered on their mobile phones. This in turn results in greater separation and dislocation from an existing community that is waiting to be activated. A community must be linked not only virtually but also physically.”

The program of the Stairway Cinema is curated by the audience itself, making use of the contestant stream of tips on social media. This makes the project being embedded in both the physical as the digital world. The great thing about parasites is that they shed a different light on urban places, transforming an everyday spot into a place that can be used completely different. Would you ever imagine a staircase to be an auditorium? The Stairway Cinema was part of St Paul St Gallery’s Curatorial Season 2012. The series of exhibitions invited select artists to examine approaches concerning curatorial practice.