This translucent tent transforms into a cinema underneath the stars

An open-air cinema that invites movie lovers to watch their favourite films unfold among the night sky is soon set to open in Cyprus.

Designed by Russian design bureau KATARSIS Architects, the structure allows visitors to lie directly on the sand before looking up at the screen above.

The translucent canopy, decorated with patterns inspired by traditional Cypriot lace, doubles up as a projection screen above, with room to encompass 25 people.

The project, which was created for a competition by the Cyprus School of Architecture (CYSOA), will be part of ongoing regeneration for the Geroskipou Beach near Paphos.

The competition challenged entrants to “re-imagine what an outdoor cinema could be”, moving it beyond simply “seating and a screen”.

“The most natural way to spend time on the beach is to lie and look at the sea and the sky,” say KARARIS founders Peter Sovetnikov and Vera Stepanskaya.

“Our cinema has no armchairs or bulky blackout curtains: just a screen and some simple zoning. The film unfolds somewhere in the heavens, and the screen itself becomes a canopy: its thin translucent fabric separating the viewer from a starry infinity.”