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Pavilion of Turkey: The Latest Architecture and News

A Mindset of Revival: Exploring Reuse in Urban Biennales and Pavilions

In light of the looming climate crisis and the pursuit of sustainability, the concepts of revival and reuse have emerged as crucial strategies in the quest for decarbonization in the architecture industry. These principles preach that creating new structures may be sustainable but encourage architects to minimize their ecological footprint by reactivating and recycling existing resources. This year specifically, innovative projects in line with these themes were displayed as part of the 18th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia. This world-renowned event’s core purpose is to serve as a platform for architects, designers, and thinkers to collectively reimagine sustainability, decarbonization, resource conservation, and the industry's future.

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"It’s the People Who Keep Buildings Alive": In Conversation with SO?, Curators for the Pavilion of Türkiye at the 2023 Venice Biennale

During their visit to the 18th International Architecture Exhibition in Venice, ArchDaily had the opportunity to engage in a conversation with Sevince Bayrak and Oral Göktaş, founders of the Istanbul-based studio SO? Architecture and Ideas, curators for the Pavilion of Türkiye. Their exhibition, titled Ghost Stories: Carrier Bag Theory of Architecture, explores the status and hidden potential of abandoned buildings across Türkiye to discover more hopeful proposals for the future. The conversations opened with an exploration of the status of these forgotten structures and their hidden potential, leading into the intentions behind the exhibition in Venice and the curator’s message for the wider audience.

"It’s the People Who Keep Buildings Alive": In Conversation with SO?, Curators for the Pavilion of Türkiye at the 2023 Venice Biennale - Image 1 of 4"It’s the People Who Keep Buildings Alive": In Conversation with SO?, Curators for the Pavilion of Türkiye at the 2023 Venice Biennale - Image 2 of 4"It’s the People Who Keep Buildings Alive": In Conversation with SO?, Curators for the Pavilion of Türkiye at the 2023 Venice Biennale - Image 3 of 4"It’s the People Who Keep Buildings Alive": In Conversation with SO?, Curators for the Pavilion of Türkiye at the 2023 Venice Biennale - Image 4 of 4It’s the People Who Keep Buildings Alive: In Conversation with SO?, Curators for the Pavilion of Türkiye at the 2023 Venice Biennale - More Images+ 7

The Türkiye Pavilion Explores "Ghost Stories: The Carrier Bag Theory of Architecture" at the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale

Sevince Bayrak and Oral Göktaş, founders of the Istanbul-based studio SO? Architecture and Ideas, were selected as curators for the Pavilion of Türkiye in the 18th International Architecture Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia 2023, with an exhibition project titled Ghost Stories: Carrier Bag Theory of Architecture. The installation questions the accepted perceptions of unused buildings in order to discover more hopeful proposals for the future. The exhibition will be open from May 20th until November 26th, 2023, under the coordination of the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV). The project team consists of Aysima Akın, Kevser Reyyan Doğan, Merve Akdoğan and the research team includes Taylan Tosun, Doğu Tonkur, Hatice Bahar Çoklar Berke Şevketoğlu, Duygu Sayğı.

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5 National Pavilions at the 2021 Venice Biennale that Explore Sustainability and Climate Change

The 17th Venice Architecture Biennale is currently unfolding, revealing a wide range of answers to the question "How will we live together". With 60 national pavilions, numerous contributions of invited architects from all around the world and several collateral events, this year's edition restates the Biennale's role as a platform for inquiry, exploration, and disruptive thinking in architecture. Curator Hashim Sarkis' original statement called upon architects "to imagine spaces in which we can generously live together." Recent circumstances have made the question even more relevant, prompting a holistic re-evaluation of how the world as a collective can face changes and challenges of an unprecedented scale from the disrupting role of technology, to inequality, mass migration and climate change. The following national contributions reflect on "how will we live together" amidst climate change, exploring ideas for a more sustainable future.

Turkey’s Pavilion at the Biennale to Explore Cultural Similarities Between Istanbul and Venice Arsenals

Turkey’s Pavilion at the Biennale to Explore Cultural Similarities Between Istanbul and Venice Arsenals - Featured Image
Darzanà Mockup. Image © IKSV

The Pavilion of Turkey at the 2016 Venice Biennale will feature an exhibition titled Darzanà: Two Arsenals, One Vessel, which links the cultural heritage between the language and architecture of dockyards in Istanbul and Venice. Curated by a team of Turkish architects, the display will present “a last vessel," that has been built using waste materials found at the Haliç dockyards in Istanbul, and transported to the Biennale.