People Meet in Architecture

On August 26, 2010, the 12th International Architecture Exhibition titled People Meet in Architecture was inaugurated, directed by architect Kazuyo Sejima and organized by la Biennale di Venezia headed by president Paolo Baratta. The exhibition is open to the public from Sunday, August 29, to Sunday, November 21, 2010, at the exhibition spaces in Giardini and Arsenale and other locations in Venice.

The 12th International Architecture Exhibition has become a cultural event of international significance over the years. After several editions led by prominent critics and historians, the direction of the architectural section was passed to architect Kazuyo Sejima, the first woman in the history of this exhibition.

Kazuyo Sejima is a leading figure in contemporary architecture. Her career began in 1981 when she graduated in architecture from a Japanese women's university and started working in the Toya Ita studio. In 1987, she opened her own studio in Tokyo. Eight years later, together with Ryu Nishizawa, she founded the SANAA studio, which has designed many innovative architectural works around the world, from the Museum of Modern Art (New York), Serpentine Gallery (London), Christian Dior building (Tokyo) to the modern Museum of Contemporary Art in Kanazawa, which won the Golden Lion for the most significant work at the 9th International Architecture Exhibition in 2004. Other major projects by the SANAA studio include the recently opened Rolex Learning Center in Lausanne, Switzerland (March 2010) and in Lens (a branch of the Louvre Museum – currently under construction). The highlight of the collaboration between Sejima and Nishizawa is the Pritzker Prize for Architecture awarded in 2010. Their latest projects can be seen at this year's biennale in the Giardini area. Nishizawa is presenting an artistic project for a museum on Teshima Island, while Sejima introduces an innovative project – several small buildings on Inujima Island.

The title of the exhibition People Meet in Architecture evokes the general meaning of architecture – to create a real environment where people can communicate with each other, at a time when direct contact between people is being replaced by advanced technology. The architect should strive to create projects that work right here and now, shatter isolation, and restore human community. President Paolo Baratta expresses this: “The title People Meet in Architecture means that we become people in architecture; just like in res publica, where a person fulfills their own efforts to build their society.”

Director Kazuyo Sejima states in her remarks on the exhibition that the aim of the 12th edition is to rediscover architecture, to rediscover its potential in contemporary society.

“This exhibition,” says Sejima, “allows people to realize the diversity of possibilities and stimuli from various fields. It reflects the present, which contains future potential. We hope that this exhibition will be a showcase of architectural possibilities, architecture based on different approaches that express a new lifestyle. The architecture exhibition is a great opportunity to present a real building that cannot be physically exhibited, in the form of models, drawings, and other objects. As an architect, I feel that an essential part of our profession is to use ‘space’ to express our ideas.”

The exhibition People Meet in Architecture takes place in the Giardini exhibition area and as a standalone program in the historical space of the Arsenale. It features 53 national pavilions and for the first time presents national teams from Albania, Bahrain, Iran, Malaysia, Rwanda, and Thailand. The title of the exhibition in the Padiglione Italia in Arsenale is AILATI. Reflections from the Future. The Venetian pavilion in Giardini pays a double tribute: to sculptor Toni Benetton and architect Toni Follin.

On the occasion of the 12th International Architecture Exhibition and following recent investments by la Biennale in the renovation of its own buildings, two new buildings have returned to the city and its public life: Sala delle Colonne from the 1930s in Ca'Giustinian (headquarters of la Biennale) and the latest part of the ASAC library in Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Giardini.

The exhibition space in Palazzo delle Esposizioni mainly consists of white rooms of various sizes and shapes. In Arsenale, each room is completely different. The exhibition spaces vary in size, have different wall surface due to erosion, and some even have white walls. This creates a unique architectural context in which participants can create their personal projects, understand the theme, and respond to it through this space. The overall atmosphere of the exhibition results from multiple perspectives. It represents the background against which the relationship between people and architecture, architecture and people, and people with themselves is formed.

The exhibition features 46 business, design, technical, and artistic companies from around the world. Architects, artists, and technicians have been selected who create various relationships between architecture and people.

In Arsenale, for instance, Matthias Schuler from Transsolar exhibits a cloud in collaboration with architect Tetsuo Kondo. This installation forces the viewer to read and perceive the space in a new way. A small detail changes the entire environment. The installation well illustrates the impermanence of space.

Smiljan Radic and Marcela Correa exhibit a huge boulder sculpted with a space for one person. The object was created after the recent earthquake in Chile and is designed as a prototype of an idealist social space of the future, where everyone can find their refuge.

In Giardini, the group “raumlaborberlin” designed a temporary space as a transparent inflatable hall. Their dynamic project can change depending on various circumstances. In addition to its function as an exhibit, this object will serve as a lecture hall and café where people can experience the coexistence of a surreal architectural space and a place for everyday activities.

This year's biennale is enhanced by a new project primarily aimed at young people. With the project Destination Biennale di Venezia Universities Meet in Architecture, la Biennale reaches out to universities and other educational institutions, offering them a visit to the exhibition. The advantage is that students who visit the biennale can convert their experiences and insights from the exhibition into valuable university credits.

“A new biennale has been born,” says Paolo Baratta, “an exhibition where foreign pavilions participate and various universities visit. It represents a new alliance in the name of architecture and related disciplines, while also renewing the impulse to see the architecture biennale as an international pilgrimage site for teachers and students.”

Another highlight of this year's biennale is the so-called Architectural Saturdays. la Biennale invited directors of previous editions to organize one-day seminars within the exhibitions. Saturdays dedicated to architecture will include a series of events where directors of past editions and selected speakers – architects, designers, and curators – will discuss specific topics before an audience of students, professionals, and visitors. The final Saturday, November 20, will conclude the entire exhibition with director Kazuyo Sejima.

The inauguration and award ceremony of the 12th International Architecture Exhibition took place on Saturday, August 28, in Giardini. The Golden Lion for lifetime achievement was awarded to the Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas and the Golden Lion in memoriam to Japanese architect Kazuo Shinohara. The Golden Lion for the best national participation at the 12th International Architecture Exhibition was awarded to the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Golden Lion for the best project in the exhibition People Meet in Architecture went to the Japanese studio junya.ishigami+associates, and the Silver Lion for the most promising young participant in the exhibition People Meet in Architecture was given to OFFICE Kersten Geers David Van Severen + Bas Princen.

Through the web address www.labiennalechannel.org, three online competitions will be launched during the 12th International Architecture Exhibition:

• People Meet in Architecture/Photography: the best photographs from the exhibition (only accredited photographers)
• People Meet in Architecture/Essay: the best critiques from the exhibition (young people and students, aged 18–30)
• People Meet in Architecture/Video Clip: the best video on the theme of the exhibition (young people and students, aged 18–30)

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la Biennale di Venezia
12th International Architecture Exhibition
People Meet in Architecture
Venice (Giardini and Arsenale), August 29 – November 21, 2010
Opening hours: 10:00–18:00
Giardini – closed on Mondays (except November 15, 2010)
Arsenale – closed on Mondays (except November 16, 2010)
www.labiennale.org