REVIVAL
The return of cinema to Arman after the collapse of the Soviet film distribution system took more than ten years. In the early 2000s, cinema began to gain popularity again and public interest drove a revival in the market. New cinemas began to appear in shopping malls, which were a new phenomenon for local people.
It was at that time that Baurzhan Shukenov became the director of Arman. "All these years I've never stopped learning, so that we can to keep up with technical progress and ensure our sustainability as a center for film. Within a few years, digital projection replaced film, and now it's fading just as fast, giving way to laser projection. The Internet and streaming services pose new challenges for us. I am sure – in order not to die, cinemas must become a new platform," he says.
It was at that time that Baurzhan Shukenov became the director of Arman. "All these years I've never stopped learning, so that we can to keep up with technical progress and ensure our sustainability as a center for film. Within a few years, digital projection replaced film, and now it's fading just as fast, giving way to laser projection. The Internet and streaming services pose new challenges for us. I am sure – in order not to die, cinemas must become a new platform," he says.
I am sure – in order not to die, cinemas must become a new platform
— Baurzhan Shukenov, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Batyrkhan Shukenov Foundation, Director of the Cinema
Baurzhan Shukenov's daughter Nargiz believes that the cinema today should not be a bland extension of shops in the mall, selling the same entertainment services to mass consumers. "Cinemas should have a mission, leadership. Ideally, Arman is a cinema, an exhibition and educational space, which offer a space to spend time with like-minded people, among those with common values. The mission of cultural spaces is to remain relevant, compelling and open," Nargiz says.
The Arman that had been renovated in the early 2000s was her first cinema. Her father had taken her there, to the Red theatre, to see Brian De Palma's Mission to Mars before he would head the legendary cinema.
"When my father started working there, the cinema became a place where I spent my free time, my own 'place of strength'. Either I hung out with my friends or at the cinema," Nargiz says. "I could see films for free, so I saw everything. A lot of my childhood memories are associated with Arman: my uncle Batyr presenting his album "Otan Ana", concerts, presentations, parties, shooting videos. It was a fashionable place, but 10 years ago I started to think that many things had become outdated and changes were needed. After 5 years, it became as obvious to me as possible."
The Arman that had been renovated in the early 2000s was her first cinema. Her father had taken her there, to the Red theatre, to see Brian De Palma's Mission to Mars before he would head the legendary cinema.
"When my father started working there, the cinema became a place where I spent my free time, my own 'place of strength'. Either I hung out with my friends or at the cinema," Nargiz says. "I could see films for free, so I saw everything. A lot of my childhood memories are associated with Arman: my uncle Batyr presenting his album "Otan Ana", concerts, presentations, parties, shooting videos. It was a fashionable place, but 10 years ago I started to think that many things had become outdated and changes were needed. After 5 years, it became as obvious to me as possible."
Cinemas should have a mission, leadership. Ideally, Arman is a cinema, an exhibition and educational space, which offer a space to spend time with like-minded people, among those with common values.
— Nargiz Shukenova, Director of the Batyrkhan Shukenov Foundation, Founder of the Clique Film Festival
Times have changed once again, and Arman is changing too. What happened to this building and what lies ahead, the recent addition of Burger King and the opening of Starbucks, the reinterpretation of facades and interiors, all these in their own way reflect what is happening to society and its identity. "It's difficult for me to predict what new form this process will take, but with Arman it's quite possible to track and measure the jumble of ideas and meanings attached to our recent history," says Nargiz.
One of the layers that was hidden, only to resurface, was a bas-relief mural on the second floor. A year and a half ago, when Baurzhan Shukenov began to demolish a plasterboard wall, he discovered behind it a bas-relief sculpture. For almost twenty years of its half-century history, it had been hidden away after renovations – its aesthetics were not appropriate for the time. "When the mural was uncovered – mutilated, studded with metal, but still alive – Baurzhan said: 'Can't you feel that the building is breathing again?' And we really felt it," says Svetlana Romashkina, Editor-in-Chief of the website Vlast. "When I was invited to see the bas-relief uncovered, I already realized the significance of the event. If it had happened 10 years ago, I probably would have treated it differently. Our awareness of the value of artistic heritage is returning to us gradually after years of forgetting this art, and architectural taste in general," she admits.
Baurzhan Shukenov himself thinks that this discovery has been the impetus for change at Arman. "We began to understand the meaning of architecture, its importance in shaping our surroundings and our lives. Almaty has unique things that shaped the environment in which our culture developed. At certain times, a lot of things were done without much tought, but it is important to bring back the energy of our buildings. I physically felt its revival, I am always drawn here," says Baurzhan. His daughter calls the discovery of the bas-relief as "a kind of restoration of justice".
One of the layers that was hidden, only to resurface, was a bas-relief mural on the second floor. A year and a half ago, when Baurzhan Shukenov began to demolish a plasterboard wall, he discovered behind it a bas-relief sculpture. For almost twenty years of its half-century history, it had been hidden away after renovations – its aesthetics were not appropriate for the time. "When the mural was uncovered – mutilated, studded with metal, but still alive – Baurzhan said: 'Can't you feel that the building is breathing again?' And we really felt it," says Svetlana Romashkina, Editor-in-Chief of the website Vlast. "When I was invited to see the bas-relief uncovered, I already realized the significance of the event. If it had happened 10 years ago, I probably would have treated it differently. Our awareness of the value of artistic heritage is returning to us gradually after years of forgetting this art, and architectural taste in general," she admits.
Baurzhan Shukenov himself thinks that this discovery has been the impetus for change at Arman. "We began to understand the meaning of architecture, its importance in shaping our surroundings and our lives. Almaty has unique things that shaped the environment in which our culture developed. At certain times, a lot of things were done without much tought, but it is important to bring back the energy of our buildings. I physically felt its revival, I am always drawn here," says Baurzhan. His daughter calls the discovery of the bas-relief as "a kind of restoration of justice".
Photographer: Dastan Zhumagulov
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I'm sure that there are a lot of interesting things hidden within Arman – you just need to treat it with the respect it is due.
Arman reminds Svetlana of a treasure box. "When the vestibule was removed, they discovered a sign from the 1960s. Later, on the shore of Issyk-Kul in Kyrgyzstan, they found a statue of a girl that had once been at the cinema, but had been donated to Cholpon-Ata", she says. "I'm sure that there are a lot of interesting things hidden within Arman – you just need to treat it with the respect it is due and explore it like any other asset. After all, it is a real monument – both for architecture and for our life".
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