Abstract
An important and technologically innovative interactive cinema experience, Cinelabyrinth was a large-scale architectural pavilion built in the form of maze-like interconnecting screening rooms, affording its visitors a navigable, yet carefully structured, narrative environment. It was created in 1990 for the Osaka World Expo and was one of the last major projects of Radúz Činčera, whose most well-known work was the Kinoautomat of 1967. Despite the originality of Cinelabyrinth and the individual role it offered its users—audience members could physically navigate the branching structure without depending on any majority decision—the project has left little imprint on the academic literature. An analysis of the Cinelabyrinth’s design and function is presented so as to enable interactive filmmakers now benefitting from digital technology to better understand the potential of large-scale multiscreen non-linear narratives.
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Appendix
Appendix
The show spaces of Cinelabyrinth as described in the leaflet handed out to visitors:
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Castle & Park: A world of harmony – full of elaborate tapestries.
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Jungle: A wild world of animals – all made of beautiful glasswork.
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Snowfield: An open space of pure, white snow.
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Castle Hall: A large and mystifying hall of mirrors.
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The Universe: The eternity of space.
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Festival of Flowers: A brilliant fete of flowers.
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World of The Year 3000: He world of the future – made only of metal.
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World of Crabs: The watery world of the sea.
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Historical Prague: A simulation of that city in its glorious age of culture and art.
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Astronomical Clock: A Gothic-style grandfather clock.
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Hales, C. (2017). Cinelabyrinth: The Pavilion of Forking Paths. In: Nunes, N., Oakley, I., Nisi, V. (eds) Interactive Storytelling. ICIDS 2017. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 10690. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71027-3_10
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71027-3_10
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