Inside "Re-Creation" - Finland's Pavilion at Venice Biennale 2014

Re-Creation is a two-part installation based on a concept by Anssi Lassila. One part of the installation was constructed by a Finnish master carpenter and his team, and the other by a Chinese team. Together the two parts of the installation strike up a subtle and complex dialogue between the architects and local builders.

Presented by the pavilion designed by Alvar Aalto in 1956, the installation "takes a stand on our relationship with the modern legacy and its tradition of international dialogue, and represents a quintessential product of topical international dialogue while at the same time offering its own unique interpretation of the dynamic between tradition and modernity." See images of the pavilion and enjoy a statement from the curators after the break.

Re-Creation. The Finnish Pavilion at the 2014 Venice Biennale.. Image © Nico Saieh
Re-Creation. The Finnish Pavilion at the 2014 Venice Biennale.. Image © Nico Saieh

From the curators: The installation was created as an integral part of The Value Factory projected executed in collaboration with Ole Bouman. The idea behind The Value Factory forms the background for the Re-Creation, which debuted in Shenzhen.

Re-Creation. The Finnish Pavilion at the 2014 Venice Biennale.. Image © Nico Saieh

Re-Creation addresses the notion of space and process of its creation. Through two house-like installations that the visitor can experience personally, it provides two examples of space and shelter in its most basic form. The two installations offer two locally defined interpretations of the same idea. One is made out of spruce logs in collaboration with the a Finnish carpenter, making in collaboration with Chinese craftsmen, making use of local knowledge of building with bamboo.

Re-Creation. The Finnish Pavilion at the 2014 Venice Biennale.. Image © Nico Saieh

Re-Creation reflects on the notion of authentic (the original) and replica (the copy). It challenges the relationship local cultural traditions—that of Finland and that of China—together. The story of the creation of the two installations is documented and related through photography and video.

The presentation of Re-Creation in Venice has been realized by the Museum of Finnish Architecture in collaboration with the Architecture Information Centre of Finland and Urbanism Bi-City Biennale in Shenzhen (UABB).

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Cite: James Taylor-Foster. "Inside "Re-Creation" - Finland's Pavilion at Venice Biennale 2014" 26 Jul 2014. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/531136/inside-re-creation-finland-s-pavilion-at-venice-biennale-2014> ISSN 0719-8884

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