Village Cinema Complex, Crown Melbourne

In collaboration with Village Cinemas, Inlite, Red Design Group, Crown Melbourne and Construction Engineering, we created custom feature pendants for Village Cinemas. We were brought onto the project with the recommendation of Inlite Melbourne knowing Rakumba were the right partner to deliver for one of Village’s flagship centres. Red Design’s initial concept sketch was then brought to life. And before we perfected the design and manufacturing process, a lot was tried and learnt. The final pieces had to be designed to ensure the view of the cinema’s considerable screen wasn’t obscured or compromised whilst also providing an impressive sculptural feature. Prior to finalising the proposed design Rakumba produced a number of mockups to demonstrate different finishes and lighting effects. In situ renderings were then developed to show how the finished lights would work in the environment. Our industrial design and manufacturing skills ensured the concept could not only be made, but also installed without interrupting business. The resulting sculptural lights are as much an exercise in shadow and light as form and finish. And our background in engineering and technology came into play to ensure these lights would stand the test of time in such a busy place. Each of the individually shaped ribs in these lights was CNC formed and manually handcrafted to achieve the final outcome. A custom powder coat was imported from the USA to ensure the desired finish was delivered. And perhaps the biggest challenge of working with a fully functioning cinema was having to put everything together late at night. After a lot of planning and preparation at our studio, we hit Crown Casino’s Village Cinema to get the job done. The result gives the space a beautiful series of lights that blend traditional handcraft techniques and state-of-the-art LED technology. As much as any project has its challenges, they were all mitigated with excellent project management, transparency amongst everyone involved and using design to minimise risk. Each team delivered on their end and helped each other whenever possible, making the entire process that much smoother. This is one of the projects we’re most proud of. And we’re still thrilled with the final result that's surpassed all expectations. Check it out next time you’re at the movies.

Rakumba Feature Projects