Below is a picture of something that has really inspired me.
It is Cinema Nova’s entire programme Archive. Cinema Nova is in Bruxells and is perhaps our closest sister Cinema project, in terms of its ethos, style, spirit, local status and history. If you are interested in the Cube Cinema you should really take time to study Nova.
Their Archive is a feat of classic paperwork organisation. A sadly diminishing art nowadays as our whole life and even aspects of our afterlife become become more and more the property of Americans. (Most of the Cubes doesnt of course thanks to the brilliantly radical existence of Sparror)
They print about 12 – 16 thousand programmes and actually mail out, thats snail-mail, physically post about 5 thousand to about 15 different countries.
They regard this world of paper information as a large, dispersed historic record of their activities that would remain intact and dignified even after Novas demise.
Taking a leaf out of their book I am planning on setting up a similar system at the Cube Cinema, Bristol, England. There is a sample in the office, on the new shelves on the right. It would be nice to hear what people think.
The programme Archive is a considerable document. Each one reads like a blueprint of what is possible and what has been done. Each one records a moment and a praxis. But more radically its the ‘missing’ information that perhaps might be the most inspiring and mission-critical to the Cube. Thats the responsive data, the critical reviews, the comments, the feedback, the financial imprint, the statistics, the reasons, the thinking and the lessons. Each monthly programme almost needs a counter-programme, a mirror copy whose negative shape is defined by the positive output of the delivered events.
Id like to propose an experimental attempt at this for January 2013 programme. Anyone want to help?
Here is a picture of the Cinema space in Nova.
In case you were in any doubt about the pleasant Civil nature of Bruxells heres is a photo of phone booths at the station (note the lack of stickers, graffiti, vandalism and failed maintainance) and these dinky little electric cars that you can rent.