PORTFOLIO

Part of the Cosmos Cinema Collective’s future members take a stand by taking part in the public initiative for saving the Cosmos Cinema as a building for cultural purposes and returning it to its public status.

At the proposal of the activists, CAB and UAB Plovdiv dedicate their annual Architecture forum to the problematic spots in the city. They organized a contest for admissions to restore and turn the iconic cinema building into a building with a cultural function. The contest’s topic was set for “Cosmos Cinema – a place for culture”. The Cosmos Cinema Collective took part in the contest with 6 admissions and won 3 prizes with original submissions for the preservation and transformation of specific parts of the cinema, in accordance with the contemporary needs of cultural buildings. Multifunctionality turned out to be the most adaptive method, corresponding with fast changing trends and events in arts.

2011 2012

02.11.2011

06.09.2012

After positive responses from pointing out the urban problems during Architecture forum 2012 and the revival of the three abandoned places, Architecture forum 2013 decided to focus on a major problem of the city – the abandoned building of the Cosmos Cinema. The efforts of the citizens, the participants in CAB and UAB’s contest and the people from the neighborhood were concentrated entirely on the cinema and a series of volunteer activities were organized to clean up the lobbies of the building.

An architectural workshop “I wish it were/Shte mi se da beshe” was organized which aimed to select 3 abandoned places in the center of Plovdiv, transform and renew them. During this initiative the Cosmos Cinema Collective members came together for the first time to work on the “Circle/Kruga” project – the garden behind Dzhumaya Mosque, which received wide public interest during Night – Plovdiv 2012.

2013

05.09.2012

20.04.2013

First day on set of the “Cinema Citizen/ Grajdaninut Kino” documentary of director Kosta Bikov, which ended up being the first screening at the Cosmos Cinema after a 15-year pause.

After the cleanup major problems of the building surfaced and were dealt with – waterproofing of the roof, setting up the electrical installation and plumbing, restoration of the original spaces, furnishing the lobbies…With the help of CAB, UAB, and sponsors, the building was restored to its original form, clean and ready for trial exploitation as a demonstration and scale model of what it could be.

During the Night 2013 Cosmos Cinema opened its doors for the first time 15 years after its last screening. The Cosmos Cinema Collective organized a series of cultural events – artisan workshops, concerts, exhibitions and screenings. This demonstrated in practice how the building could function. The sentimental feelings and euphoria that the opening of the cinema caused, proved the need for its revival and its contemporary rationalization.

08.06.2013

15.06.2013

12.09.2013

Opening cocktail for Architecture forum 2013 with CAB and UAB

Launch of the Cosmos photography school, supervised by Vladimir Pekov. Inspired by his first exhibition at the Cinema, he decided to develop his idea of a photography school, incorporating and using the features of the building for screenings, lectures, decors and a not-so-standard place for photo shoots.

As a precedent in the urban and architectural history of the city, the saving of the cinema attracted great attention. The place naturally became one of SAW’s locations and hosted student workshops, lectures and exhibitions.

22.11–01.12.2013

21.09.2013 25.11.2013

Poetically-social performance with protest as a topic. Screening of the movie “I have an Idea/Imam si edna ideia” – directed by Ilian Simeonov, poetry reading by members of the international organization “Persona non grata”.Development of the project „Ground

Culture“, cluster „Urban Dreams“ for the application book of Plovdiv - candidate for ECOC in 2019.

Photo Exhibition of the young movie director Dimitar Tenev

The importance and the spirit of the public initiative for saving the cinema gave it a cheerful atmosphere, suitable for organizing a series of debates related to a number of urban problems – for example Parking in the The garden of Tzar Simeon.

05.12.2013

09–18.12.2013

08.12

17.06.2013

The informal Cosmos Cinema Collective founded the Cosmos Cinema Collective NGO and began communication with the municipality about collaborating and expressed their firm desire to renovate the building as a place dedicated to culture.

2014

Archabits Studio, members of the Cosmos Cinema Collective, organize a children’s workshop for creating wooden magnet toys – part of the SDW programme.

Cosmos Cinema Collective in cooperation with Socmus, organize an exhibition of “Bulgarian movie poster” as a part of SDW

19.06.2014

20–29.06.201422.03.2014

Cosmos Cinema Collective receives a Plovdiv reward for architecture

23.05.2014

Cosmos Cinema welcomes the ECC 2019 commission. Cosmos Cinema Collective presents the Cosmos Cinema cause to the commission. The initiative of the collective, the volunteer work of the citizens, the position and the collective commitment became important factors which contributed to Plovdiv’s victory.

The first steps that the Cosmos Cinema Collective NGO undertook were creating a proposal and developing a conceptual and technical architectural design for a park square in front of Cosmos Cinema - approved by the expert council of the Municipality and granted freely for realization. The Municipality of Plovdiv agreed to implement of the project but still has not.

30.08.2014

15.07.2014

Cinema review in memory of Robin Williams

20–23.08.2014

During Architecture Forum 2014 screenings of Kosta Bikov and Dimana Bikova’s film about Cosmos Cinema were organized on the new square in front of the cinema. An exhibition of Plovdiv contemporary architecture through the lenses of the Plovdiv contemporary photographers was held as well.

Architecture forum 2014 again concentrates its full energy on the Cosmos Cinema. An architectural workshop was held for the partial implementation of the Collective’s project for the place in front of the cinema. Participants in the forum, CAB, UAB and the Cosmos Cinema Collective construct a pavilion for exhibitions, events and outdoor screening. Seating was created and the adjoining garden and the yard in front of the building were revived.

20.09.201420.09–15.10.2014

The year 2014 is a jubilee year for Cosmos Cinema and the newly built outdoor movie screen hosted our idea for a week dedicated to 60’s Bulgarian movies (the decade in which the building was constructed as well)

The Cosmos Cinema Collective members participate as lectors in Forum Key/ Klyuch

18.10.2014

06–13.10.2014

Cosmos Cinema Collective organizes a cocktail for everybody participating or supporting the Cosmos Cinema cause.

22.09.2014

Planning of Vanya Godjelova’s painting exhibition “Sajitelstvo/Co-living” and opening at the Cosmos Cinema

The Collective designs and offers a free interior project for the Plovdiv 2019 Foundation’s office space.

Cosmos Cinema Collective partners and participates in the visiting festival EMPATHEAST with a series of installations on urban topics – again pointing out urban problems in Plovdiv, which shouldn’t be overlooked.

19.10.2014

01.02.2015

04–16.11.2014

2015

Season 2015 opening

Cosmos Cinema hosts One Design Week 2015 exhibitions

Training about Leadership and Teamwork organized at the Cosmos Cinema building by the Razlichniat Pogled Association

24.04.2015

19–28.06.2015

11.07.2015

CAB and UAB’s Architecture forum 2015 Plovdiv carries on with its tradition and decides to point out another problem of the city – the new Maritza Bridge. The cinema hosted the architecture workshop Po-mosta, where architects, high school and university students and engineers came together to work on a common problem and to come up with solutions

Seminar and exhibition “Ritual Art – Time and Space”, organized by The Old School Residency, Gorna Lipnitsa village

Cosmos Cinema Collective takes part in One Architecture Week’s Un-common river with 3 urban interventions about “the river in the city” aiming to remind us about the forgotten Maritza River in Plovdiv. The installations strongly contributed to the visual identity of the festival.

Hosting the “Museum of less ordinary” exhibition by Finlandia Vodka

03.10–14.10.201517–20.09.2015

20–23.08.2015

15.10–18.10.2015

Photographic exhibition of four authors entitled „Pogledi…“

The Collective is nominated for the Person of the year award by the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee Elaboration of CULTURAL COSMOS

– A strategy and business plan for developing the Cosmos cinema building as a multifunctional center with an indivisible spectrum of public, cultural and commercial activities (in cooperation with an expert – a business consultant).

23.10.2015

19.11.2015

01.01–30.06.2016

2016

The Collective partnered with the organization of the event Life Like a Movie by Dessy Tenekedjieva –a concert- performance with film music, organized in the lobby of the building.

Members of the Collective organize a children’s workshop for wooden toys.

An international workshop took place at the Cosmos Cinema building and afterwards – an exhibition called Materiality/Brutality, part of the One Design Week programme.

08.04.2016

07.06.2016

10–19.06.2016

The Collective organizes a Floralyn George concert (harp and vocals) in the building’s lobby. The Art of Slow – the directors from

Cosmos Cinema screen a selection of the best short movies from the slow cinema genre.

Members of the Collective organize and participate in the Bulding up with/ the communities international workshop in accordance with the Mahala project for the dedication of space for culture in the Stolipinovo neighborhood.

02.09.20167.09.2016

7–12.09.2016

Participation in the Kapana fest Kapana Creative District. The Collective introduces the Cultural Cosmos project to the public.

Participation of the Collective and introduction of CULTURAL COSMOS at the LOCOP (Local Operators’ Platform) event – a network of local cultural operators for tracking the nominations for ECC (European Capital of Culture.)

The path of cinema/Po pytia na kinoto” – a project of the Collective, NoBlink and NBU. Screening of selected short movies of the students of Professor G. Dulgerov’s master class.

14.10.2016

18.11.2016

30.09.2016

2017

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