A Gateway to Common Ground: Norman Foster in Venice

By Jordan Grant

The 13^th International Architecture Exhibition at the Biennale in Venice was a once in a lifetime experience, to say the least. I know many students, myself included, found it to be inspiring and amazing. Norman Foster was the curator for one of my personal favorite exhibitions. Located at the entrance of the Arsenal, he called the exhibit “Gateway”, which turned out to be more than appropriate.

My experience of the exhibit began even before I reached the threshold. As I neared the back of the first room, I began hearing sounds- big sounds, frightening sounds, sounds that make you want to walk in the opposite direction of whatever could possibly be making them. Then I turned the corner, only to find a very narrow hallway ending only in black, while the noises got louder and louder. As I ventured down the hallway I found yet another corner to turn, and such is how I came to see the exhibit for the first time. A dark room, filled with lights and pictures all moving across the floors and walls, camouflaged the people already standing in the exhibit as if they had become part of it- and in this way I also became part of it.

First I stuck out my hand and watched the words crawl across it, almost like holding a caterpillar of light. The multitude of words made it almost impossible to read them individually and they constantly intersected and overlapped in a geometric manner, almost like someone had held a dictionary upside down and shook it until all the words fell out.

I was in the midst of observing this sea of words when my focus was ripped away and turned towards the film on the wall- or rather, I should say films, as 10 screens played concurrently, each flashing their own series of images and projecting their own noises. The viewer is really left with no option but to stand in the center of the room and turn in circles in an attempt to understand the connection between the screen and their subjects. People and places from all over the globe appeared in glimpses, some longer than others and sometimes the screens all faded except one with a lone figure or empty space. But eventually the lights and sounds become overpowering and then the viewer is forced to find the exit, which is only a small curtain completely obscured from view.

Though I knew I did not understand the exhibit entirely, I knew that it was serving as a threshold to the rest of the Biennale and was therefore extremely important. How it manipulated my senses and emotions was genius, so I decided to do a little more research about it. The title of this year’s Biennale (given by Curator David Chipperfield) was “Common Ground”, and Norman Foster stuck with this given theme in his exhibit. The words crawling across the floor are actually the names of people in history that have shaped the physical environment, including but not exclusively names of architects. The words are projected straight to the floor, giving a literal meaning to “Common Ground”- the ground is now a collection of past and present figures all sharing a common interest and profession in the built environment. Foster has created unity in this way.

Next, the walls- showing pictures of meeting places across the world, western world next to eastern, first world side by side with third world, peace next to war, rich next to poor. It’s a reminder that we all share the same spaces, no matter where you are. Foster’s exhibit is a tool to prepare visitors for the rest of the Biennale with the realization that the world in which we live is shared, and that it is indeed “Common Ground”. Bravo, Mr. Foster- bravo.

Sources: http://www.dezeen.com/2012/08/28/gateway-by-norman-foster-at-venice-architeture-biennale-2012/

http://www.labiennale.org/en/architecture/exhibition/chipperfield/