Domesticity, curatorial Keyword of Taiwan Pavilion at Venice Biennale Architecture 2023. Image Courtesy of National Taiwan Museum of Fine Art
The 18th annual Architecture Exhibition La Biennale Di Venezia is taking place from May to November under the theme of “The Laboratory of the Future”. This year, the Taiwanese Pavilion, organized by the Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, announced that it will explore the intelligence embedded in surrounding landscapes. “Diachronic Apparatuses of Taiwan” displays how locals throughout Taiwanese history have used their intuition to shape their environment. Furthermore, the project also opens a dialogue about artificial and natural terrain to rediscover what we may learn from nature.
Vista aérea de Venecia, Italia. Imagen de Lukas Kastner. Image via Shutterstock
The proposal "EN OPERA. Future Scenarios of a Young Forestry Law" by INST/MAPA + Carlos Casacuberta has been selected to represent Uruguay at the 18th International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale, to be held from May 20th to November 26th, 2023.
Studio NYALI / ArchiAfrika Pavilion at the 2021 Venice Biennale. Image Courtesy of Studio NYALI
From the Tbilisi Architecture Biennial to the Sharjah Architecture Triennial, architecture exhibitions are ever-increasing fixtures on cultural calendars around the contemporary world. New editions of architecture exhibitions rest on a foundation propagated by exhibitions of the past – and these historical expositions, to a great degree, have shaped the architectural discourse we have today. But as these exhibitions were born out of a western framework, African historical representations on the biennial and triennial architectural stage have often been reductive, with an assortment of cultures flattened into one, and distinct architectural styles meshed in an incoherent manner.
CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati, together with architect Italo Rota and urbanist Richard Burdett, unveiled the master plan for Rome’s bid to host the World Expo in 2030. The project proposes a joint effort from every participating country to contribute to a solar farm that could power the exhibition site and help decarbonize the surrounding neighborhoods. The Expo is proposed to take place in Tor Vergata, a vast area in Rome and home to the eponymous university and a densely inhabited residential district. All the pavilions are designed to be fully reusable, as the area is proposed to be transformed into an innovation district after the event in the hope of revitalizing the somewhat neglected neighborhood. The master plan was developed with several partners, including ARUP for sustainability, infrastructure, and costing, LAND for landscape design, and Systematica for mobility strategy.
Staged stories on community and identity, ephemeral architecture showed that in 2022 it doesn't have to be permanent to be powerful. A direct and popped-up public installation can shift from preparation to action, reclaiming and defining what makes a community unique. Highlighting installations to acknowledge linguistic diversity in NYC, a giant table to celebrate culinary in Barcelona, and a large-scale net in Dubai to represent the local culture, among others, these initiatives seek to understand ways in which local and regional expressions can help cities to be more equal and diverse.
Globalization has connected the world boundaryless. While it has also made information more accessible, it has led to homogeneity and identity crisis at melding unique societies and cultural expressions. Cultural differences are undeniable as globalization grows. Hence, as architecture produces common living standards, it can also highlight singularities. Festivals, installations, and pavilions, 2022 was the year to express local memories to be recognized and celebrated, setting Community and identity as central topics in ephemeral architecture throughout the year.
The ninth edition of the MPavilion opened with an orange canopy installation designed by Bangkok-based practice all(zone) in collaboration with AECOM and Schiavello Architects. From December 2022 to April 2023, visitors will experience a vibrant and joyful setting made of upcycling materials, featuring an architectural lighting program by Melbourne-based design practice Bluebottle.
Zaha Hadid Architects has joined Ukrainian authorities to present the OdesaExpo 2030 bid proposal, an event planned to become the first Expo to be hosted in Eastern Europe. The masterplan is designed with legacy and sustainability in mind. The central pavilions are configured to be transformed into Ukraine’s first fair exhibition hub after the closing of the Expo, while the national pavilions are designed to be dismantled and redeployed as new civic buildings throughout Ukraine.
Pantone has revealed its Color of the Year for 2023, 18-1750 Viva Magenta, a brand-new color "brave and fearless, whose exuberance promotes a joyous and optimistic celebration." The shade falls under the red family and is inspired by the tone of cochineal extract, one of the most precious dyes historically used to color textiles, cosmetics, and food.
Beirut-born, Paris-based architect Lina Ghotmeh has been announced as the designer of the 22nd annual Serpentine GalleryPavilion. Titled “À Table,” the French expression for sitting together to eat, her proposal introduces a slender wooden structure with nine pleated petals supported by radial ribs. Inside the pavilion, a ring of tables and benches invites visitors to enter, sit down and relax, eat or work together. According to the architect, the modest space and low-slung canopy is meant to make people feel close to the earth. The Serpentine Pavilion will be open from June to October 2023.
Expanded polystyrene (EPS) was discovered in 1839 in Berlin and became a widely used material in airplanes manufactured for World War II due to its extremely low density. It is this characteristic that makes it a suitable material for thermal and acoustic insulation, often specified in buildings, but also widely used in packaging. A rigid cellular plastic, it is the result of polymerizing styrene in water, whose end product are expandable beads that have a diameter of up to 3 millimeters. Unfortunately though, this material takes more than 500 years to decompose and, in the process, leaches harmful chemicals into the environment. Recycling is possible, but it is complex and costly. This means that most of the Styrofoam produced to date still remains on the planet, taking up valuable space in landfills, or worse, broken into tiny pieces and interfering with ocean life. "Decomposition Farm: Stairway" is a temporary installation that offers a possible solution to the environmental issues related to construction waste in the architectural field.
The National PavilionUAE has announced the appointment of Faysal Tabbarah, Associate Dean and Associate Professor of Architecture at the American University of Sharjah, as the curator of UAE’s pavilion for the 18th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia in 2023. Tabbarah’s proposal for the exhibition focuses on the arid and dry landscapes of the UAE and their relationship with architecture. Through the research, these areas are reimagined as spaces of abundance and productivity. This approach represents Faysal Tabbarah’s response to the Venice Biennale 2023 theme: The Laboratory of the Future.
LetsBringLondonTogether. Image Courtesy of Yinka Ilori
PARABLES FOR HAPPINESS by the London-based British-Nigerian designer Yinka Ilori features for the first time at the Design Museum in London. Exhibited from September 25, 2022, to June 25, 2023, essential aspects of Ilori’s work will be placed beside key influences, including artworks, photographs, and furniture, to Nigerian textiles. Curated by Priya Khanchandani, the exhibition celebrates Ilori’s mix of cultural influences and unpacks the ingredients of a diasporic visual language.
Nevada's annual Burning Man has retured to the Black Rock Desert, after a three-year physical attendance hiatus due to the pandemic. From August 28 until September 5th, this year's festival explored the theme of "Walking Dreams", celebrating the dreamers who channel the power of dreams and imagination, both in literal and figurative ways. Similar to every year, the pavilions that were installed in the desert explored the theme in creative and unexpected ways.
This year, many of the installations approached themes of ecology and sustainability. Some of the installations were built with reused materials, including an interactive light sculpture made from plastic recovered from the ocean. Every year, the Burning Manfestival issues a number of grants, funded from revenues from ticket sales, for the purpose of partially funding specific art projects.
The Quadracci Pavilion at Milwaukee Art Museum. Image via Flickr user bvincent licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0
The Quadracci Pavilion by Santiago Calatrava and the Contemporary Arts Center by the Pritzker-winner Zaha Hadid are celebrating their 20th anniversary. Both buildings are the first US projects completed by these legendary architects that have contributed to the stimulation of economic development in Midwestern American cities over the past two decades. In fact, for that reason, Milwaukee's mayor declared September 16 "Santiago Calatrava Day" to commemorate the Pavillion's opening.
Nevada's annual Burning Man is underway at the Black Rock Desert. Under the theme of Waking Dreams, this year's festival is exploring the "transformative power of dreams, both literal and figurative, and celebrating the dreamers who channel this potent energy in eye-opening, often surrealistic, sometimes life-changing ways". The "temporary metropolis" is running until September 5th, and is expected to showcase numerous installations and pavilions that celebrate "community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance".
First Place - Federico Fiorino. Image Courtesy of The Outsider magazine and the City Municipality of Maribor
The Outsider magazine and the City Municipality of Maribor have announced the winners of the international competition “Floating Pavilion on the Drava River.” The purpose of the competition was to obtain an innovative design for a floating pavilion that would have two main functions: a space for smaller events during the Lent Festival and a space for contemplation by the river. The City Municipality of Maribor will invite the winning candidate to participate in the implementation of the project.
Henning Larsen has unveiled the "Fritz Hansen Pavilion", a sustainably-designed pavilion for the 3daysofdesign event in Copenhagen. Set in Designmuseum's Grønnegården, the Pavilion is developed with a Nordic approach, centered around daylight, using low-carbon materials, and circular design principles. The pavilion is designed to be disassembled, ensuring that its materials can be reused elsewhere. The pavilion will be open to the public during 3daysofdesign 15 – 17 June, and will then be used by Designmuseum Danmark until mid- Autumn.
The 21st Serpentine Pavilion, Black Chapel, designed by Chicago-based artist Theaster Gates opens today, on June 10, 2022. On display until the 16th of October 2022, the project is realized with the architectural support of Adjaye Associates with Goldman Sachs’ patronage. In 2021, the Pavilion events program was planned to reflect Gates’ concept of interlinking architecture and music, particularly emphasizing artistic explorations of monastic sounds and hymns. The pavilion will act as a platform for Serpentine’s live program throughout the summer, offering the public space of reflection, connection, and joy.
