Today, December 25, in a historic buildingof the former cinema "Leningrad" in the Tavrichesky Garden of St. Petersburg, the solemn and long-awaited opening of the "Leningrad Center" - a project at the intersection of culture, entertainment and media will take place. The uniqueness of this project is not only in its purpose. Both Russian and world-famous specialists from other countries were involved in the restoration of the building of the former cinema "Leningrad". All works were supervised by the Spanish architect and urbanist Ricardo Bofill. Production director Felix Mikhailov is one of the creators of the project, as well as the artistic director of the Center's troupe, Oksana Bondarenko will be the curator of the gallery's art projects. The center will open with the project “100 years - 100 winters”, which will present an exposition from unique photo archives of people whose destinies are forever linked in the past with the Leningrad cinema, these exhibits will be supplemented with graphic and video installations. 
The four-storey building of the "Leningrad Center" willto operate concert and theater venues, an art gallery, as well as conceptual bars and a restaurant. All zones are equipped with modern equipment and comply with the latest trends in the culture and entertainment industry. For example, there is an IMAX video wall, consisting of 99 monitors and forming a single screen, in which the main entrance to the large theater hall is hidden; media screens; a kinetic chandelier made of a thousand LED balls, which is one of the Center's business cards; modern acoustic equipment; 3D systems and specialized gallery lighting. The foyer of the center is a combination of graphic constructiveness and theatrical brightness. The stage of the theater hall is framed by a 3D curtain by the famous theater artist Pavel Kaplevich. The gallery on the second floor is made in a minimalistic style. It will host exhibitions, art performances and video installations. Side exits from the theater hall lead to the Black Bar and White Bar, an experimental project of the famous Russian fashion designer Valentin Yudashkin. Mixing styles, combining different formats and structures was chosen as the main technique of decor. Preserving the historical features of the structure, the architect Ricardo Bofill and his wife, decorator Marthe Villalonga, managed to breathe new life into the existing buildings, expand the space, make it multifunctional, while maintaining the solemnity that has been characteristic of this building for a century. There is no doubt that important cultural events will take place within these walls. Ideal conditions have been created here for creative cooperation and communication between Russian and foreign artists, artists and musicians. Dmitry Butsenevsky, General Director of Leningrad Center, is confident that the new site will become a place of attraction for the city's social and cultural life. 
sobaka.ru
The opening of the "Leningrad Center": a unique project in culture and design
