Among the many topics explored at the 17th Venice Architecture Biennale, the idea of community has been at the forefront, with several national pavilions exploring its many manifestations, evolution, and its relationship with the future of built environments. ArchDaily met with the curators of Testimonial Spaces, Emilio Marín and Rodrigo Sepúlveda, the Chilean Pavilion at the Biennale, and discussed how the project tackled the question of the future of living together and how they bridged the stories from Santiago to Venice. The interview was conducted in Spanish but is provided with English subtitles.
Bringing into focus the question of “How will we live together”, the pavilion connects to the theme through several layers by displaying the emblematic neighborhood of Jose Maria Caro in Santiago, Chile. The curators of the pavilion described the structure as a "shored-up" boat-like volume. The supporting elements on both sides of the main structure hold up the pavilion's main space and serve as conceptual support for the stories and testimonies displayed inside.
The main space of the pavilion allows visitors to walk through and engage with the testimonies told by Jose Maria Caro residents. Over 500 stories of how these people have been living together were collected, showcasing how through all the internal and external conflicts experienced by the residents, they still managed to coexist. The project was approached collectively, combining the multidisciplinary works of architects, artists, and historians. HIstorian Juan Radic collected the stories and transformed them from textual to visual context with the help of 21 artists, directed by artist Pablo Ferrer.
We invite you to check out ArchDaily's comprehensive coverage of the Venice Architecture Biennale 2021 and watch our official playlist on Youtube featuring exclusive interviews with architects and curators of the Biennale.
