The new look of the Sala Darsena theatre was one of the outstanding features of the 71st edition of the Venice International Film Festival. “The redesigning of the Sala Darsena, where the films from the Orizzonti section (the most innovative and artistically sophisticated) are shown, attracted an average of 950 people per showing,” said Venice Biennale President Paolo Baratta, as he offered an appraisal of the Festival. “The Film Festival has proved more than satisfactory as a logistic and research project”.

The Sala Darsena has been renovated in order to bring it into line with the new cinema standards for film projection systems and equip it with new scenery, and the screen has always been extended to the maximum width the dimensions of the room allow for.
The stands have been renovated and widened from 70 to 90 centimetres, and the capacity has been increased from 1,300 to 1,401 seats (plus a further eight for spectators with disabilities). In this innovative project that has given a makeover to the main theatre of the Venice Film Festival, Lamm has had a major role to play.

The seats from which jury members, journalists and spectators were able to admire the films in competition were manufactured by the company from San Secondo Parmense. This extremely prestigious order presented a significant challenge from the point of view of product customisation.

The use of low-fire-risk materials for both the frame and the padding, coupled with the distinctive design, make the seats in the Sala Darsena truly unique, perfectly tailored to meet the formal and safety demands set by the Biennale foundation.

Rather like the stages in a film, from the initial idea through to the screenplay, right from the beginning of the Lamm project, the accent was on 100% customisation to make the chairs blend seamlessly with the architectural setting and functional requirements of the theatre. This is why we like to think that part – perhaps just a small part – of the applause rendered at this edition of the Venice Film festival might have been dedicated to the work of Lamm.

Architekt: Pina Maugeri
Leitung: Architekt: Joern Brandmeyer
Designers: R. & D. Lamm