Bola Sociology Design

Special: 11th Biennale di Architettura di Venezia

September 18th, 2008

The 11th Venice Architecture Biennial opened on September 14th, and it closes on November 23rd. We have attended the events of the opening week, and come to bring youa fresh visual report on one of the world’s largest international architecture meetings. 

 

This year edition is dubbed Beyond Architecture, and it seems that most of the pavilions were not showing architecture per se, but rather lifestyle concepts, much closer to art and design. As usual, architectural models were highly praised, however, this year’s discussion seemed to focus on architecture trends, theory of contemporary architecture and, of course, sustainability  was on top of the agenda.

The German Pavilion went carbon free, with hydroponic apple trees filling a room. All the graphic material was curated by OnLab Studio. And the theme was, naturally, a better future through sustainable building.

Here are a few shots of the Giardini spaces, where several countries have their own representative exhibition. 

The Norwegians parked a trailer, where they served beer, and waffles with the traditional Norwegian salmon on top.

The Slovak Republic displayed architecture trough food, with different fridges representing what each kind of family eats. All the food was shipped from their country and visitors could actually eat whatever they liked. The concept, curated by ZeroZero Untd, is a clever criticism on contemporary society.

The Italian Pavilion showed a series of interesting interventions by famous archi-stars. UnStudio, for instance, displayed a few surreal photos like the roller-coaster  highway below.

On the next day we moved on to the Arsenale, which held a permanent installation of interactive media, design objects and architectural projects. Stormy weather kept us indoor, so we really focused on the projects.

This edition was curated by Aaron Betsky, the head of Nai, so Droog and KesselsKramer were co-curators. The two came up with S1NGLETOWN; a selection of products targeted at singles, since in the next couple of years 30% of the world’s urban population will live alone.

Naturally, the Bienalle could not do without a huge installation of Zaha Hadid furniture, along with other big shots, such as Frank O Gehry (who won the lifetime achievement Golden Lion).

In a bold approach to interactivity and eco-friendly buildings, Gehry’s construction will be gradually covered with adobe bricks over the three months of the Biennale, with more handmade bricks coming out of the oven every day. 

Keep coming back for more highlights from events around beautiful Venice. Coming soon.