Historically significant as a global center of trade, Venice has functioned as a vessel for exchange of ideas, products, and culture for centuries. Tourists or prospective tourists will believe the lie that you can get through the entire city in a day or two and see everything important, which couldn’t be further from the truth. Separate from the museums, churches, restaurants, and campi to explore, La Biennale di Venezia provides a months-long, multifaceted, and city-wide opportunity for visitors to get lost in the city with a virtually unlimited mix of exhibitions to see.
For this latest edition of the International Architecture Exhibition, Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective., curated by Carlo Ratti, participants responded to an open call to share different forms of intelligence as a way of highlighting the various types of problem solving architects and designers are considering in concert with our ever-evolving planet. With more than 300 contributions from the 750 participants on view, the main exhibition gives a broad view as the various ways designers from around the world are utilizing technology, climate research, and collaborative teamwork to propose new ways of thinking and living.
Upon Entry, Immersive Installations and AI Collaborations at the Venice Architecture Biennale
“Transsolar,” Bilge Kobas,
Daniel A. Barber; 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia , “Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective”; Photo by Marco Zorzanello; Courtesy: La Biennale di Venezia.
As is typical for any art or architecture Venice Biennale opening, the first preview days are primarily focused on seeing the main exhibition and the national pavilions. Unlike most years, the main exhibition was almost entirely set at the Arsenale, as the main exhibition venue at the Giardini is currently under construction. Upon immediate entry, viewers are transported to an incredibly hot, dimly lit room with suspended air conditioners and shallow reflecting pools that completely distort your immediate understanding of where you are meant to walk. Given architecture’s responsibility and understanding of global warming and climate change, this immersive installation, “Terms and Conditions” by Transsolar, Bilge Kobas, Daniel A. Barber, and Sonia Seneviratne, provides an apt introduction to a show with countless presentations and studies meant to combat this worldwide issue.
A funny, but also slightly troubling, component of the main exhibition: each wall label includes both the architect’s description, as well as a paragraph of text written by AI to more concisely decipher what the original text means. This speaks both to the show’s desire to demonstrate how humans and AI can work together in positive ways, but also the challenges designers come up against in communicating succinct ideas to a wide range of audiences.
One of the many great installations on view is located back at the Giardini by architect Barkow Leibinger and landscape architect Capatti Staubach, entitled “Map of Glass.” Their premise is simple and impactful: using recycled Murano glass and bio-based cement, they have created a circular garden with plants and seats located in the back area of the Giardini. At the conclusion of the exhibition, the pieces will be recycled yet again and used for other building projects. Providing a moment of relaxation for visitors and a makeshift gymnasium for rambunctious children, the site is so thoughtfully activated but also practical.
Sophisticated and Inspiring National Pavilions
Manameh Pavilion,
Rashid Bin Shabib, Ahmed Bin Shabib,
Vladimir Yavachev,
Yusaku Imamura,
Jonathan Shannon; 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia , “Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective”; Photo by
Marco Zorzanello; Courtesy: La Biennale di Venezia.
Though many national pavilions fall into the trap of trying to cram too much into small spaces, by far the best presentations took a simple, coherent idea and visualized it in a way that was sophisticated and inspiring. For the Belgian pavilion, landscape architect Bas Smets and neurobiologist Stefano Mancuso have set up a ‘living laboratory,’ wherein the team will study how more than 200 plants respond to their interior surroundings over the course of the exhibition. In a world wherein designers are thinking about the ways to separate humans from the elements and outdoors, this installation invites the idea of seeing how plants can impact the interiority of a space, and the positive benefits that may come from creating environments made for both people and plants.
Another fantastic exhibition, perhaps the best overall, can be found at the Danish pavilion: ‘Build of Site’ by Søren Pihlmann. As the pavilion undergoes a robust renovation, the team has strategically disassembled components of the building, from unhinging doors and windows, to excavating concrete, and put these elements on display to create a space to study these various materials. Laying bare the complexity of construction, and the importance of responsible material use, the show visualizes the architectural process in a way that is totally legible and exciting for the biggest architecture nerd or someone who self-identifies as ‘not interested in architecture.’ During the preview, Diane von Furstenberg could be heard proclaiming her love of the show to passersby.
Great Minds Uniting in Venice to Make the World a Better Place
Living Architecture: From Indigenous Knowledge to Digital Design,
Green Technologies in Landscape Architecture, Technical University of Munich,
Living Bridge Foundation,
Neue Kunst am Ried; 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia , “Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective”; Photo by Marco Zorzanello; Courtesy: La Biennale di Venezia.
This idea ought to be the point of an architecture exhibition: finding ways to engage all types of people to think about the importance of architecture and the built environment in a person’s everyday life, and what designers are doing to help make the world a healthier, more efficient, and enjoyable place. Much of this is apparent throughout the show, and we can hope that some of these great minds will come together to share resources and research, and start solving some of the urgent problems that stand before us all.
“10,000 Hours of Care,”
Lina Ghotmeh—Architecture; 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia , “Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective”; Photo by Andrea Avezzù; Courtesy: La Biennale di Venezia.
