as waters rise in the peruvian amazon, espacio común's cinema stage gathers a city afloat

collective cinema shaped by river and ritual

In Belén, Peru, where the Itaya River redraws the city each year, a floating cinema emerges as a recurring space for collective life. The Floating Stage for MuyunaFest, developed by Espacio Común Association together with local builders from the neighborhood, takes shape within this amphibious context in the Peruvian Amazon. Here, seasonal flooding between January and June transforms streets into waterways, reorganizing daily routines around canoes, stilt houses, and floating structures. Within this shifting environment, long marked by environmental pressure and limited state support, local initiatives continue to sustain spaces for education, gathering, and cultural production.

The geometry of the project draws from the muyuna, the whirlpool formed at the meeting point of rivers and understood in Kukama cosmology as a passage between worlds. This reference informs both the circular plan and the spatial organization of the platform, forming a space for gathering, performance, and projection. Vegetal elements, branches, reeds, and leaves collected from nearby fields wrap the structure, forming patterns inspired by Kukama iconography and murals developed through workshops with local children.

all images by Eleazar Cuadros, unless stated otherwise

a floating stage within seasonal waters in peru for muyunafest

Since 2024, MuyunaFest has developed from this context as a floating film festival dedicated to the defense of the world’s rainforests. Over the course of two weeks, the neighborhood becomes a platform for audiovisual training, collective encounters, and public programming, while the river itself is reconfigured as a site of projection and assembly.

For its 2025 edition, the team at Espacio Común Association’s ephemeral stage was constructed directly in front of the neighborhood’s early childhood school. The structure is organized around a 14-meter-diameter circular platform, supported by more than 70 floating topa logs. Above it, a trapezoidal frame shapes the stage and supports a cinema screen rising seven meters into the air. The entire assembly floats freely, without fixed supports or contact with the riverbed, adapting continuously to the movement of the water.

floating stage gathers canoes during MuyunaFest in belén’s flooded neighbourhood

espacio común association and local builders shape the project

The construction was completed in two weeks using manual techniques and basic tools, relying on the expertise of local builders, many of whom are fishers and boat makers accustomed to building in fluctuating water conditions. Their empirical knowledge guided decisions around flotation, balance, and anchoring, while architectural tools were used to resolve proportions, sightlines, and structural connections, forming an exchange between different forms of practice.

During the festival, each evening, more than 50 canoes gathered around the platform, forming a floating audience oriented toward the screen. The river temporarily shifts function, from infrastructure to public space, hosting film screenings and performances under open skies. 

timber framework defines the stage geometry | image by Daniel Canchán Zúñiga

beyond the event: cycles of use, reuse, and return

Following the festival, the structure remained in place for approximately six weeks, continuing to serve as a floating plaza, open-air classroom, and dock for the adjacent school. As water levels receded, the project entered a final phase: dismantling. Its materials were redistributed and reused locally, forming walkways and paths adapted to the in-between season.

Participation in MuyunaFest extends beyond a single event, developing through sustained engagement with existing cultural practices in Belén. Each edition builds on previous collaborations, refining methods and reinforcing relationships through shared decision-making and labor.

In May 2026, the festival will return with a new edition that includes a carpentry training workshop, where participants will construct the next stage as a final collective build, contributing to a longer-term vision for an amphibious community cultural center.

topa logs are assembled into a floating base | image by Alfonso Silva Santisteban

local builder works within the structure using manual techniques and simple tools

woven vegetal elements and timber patterns form the stage enclosure | image by Daniel Canchán Zúñiga

the circular platform rests on floating topa logs, adapting to water levels

the structure reflects onto the water as spectators gather at dusk

screenings unfold across water

the stage becomes a temporary civic platform

timber and vegetal elements compose the structure

night screening draws audiences gathered by canoe in front of the stage | image by Alfonso Silva Santisteban

audience forms around the illuminated screen as canoes cluster toward the stage | image by Daniel Martínez-Quintanilla

night screening transforms the river into a circular public space | image by Daniel Martínez-Quintanilla

a focal point within belén’s amphibious urban fabric | image by Daniel Martínez-Quintanilla

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image by Daniel Canchán Zúñiga

image by Alfonso Silva Santisteban

 

 

 

image by Daniel Canchán Zúñiga

image by Alfonso Silva Santisteban

image by Alfonso Silva Santisteban

image by Alfonso Silva Santisteban

image by Alfonso Silva Santisteban

image by Helena Perelló

image by Enzo Burga

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

project info:

name: Floating Stage for MuyunaFest

architects: Espacio Común Association | @espaciocomun.pe

location: Belén, Itaya River, Peruvian Amazon

client: MuyunaFest | @muyunafest

This article is part of designboom’s Utopia: Then and Now chapter, examining utopia’s role in the past, present and future as a way of envisioning a better way of being. Explore more related stories here.