Venice Biennale

By Khris Kirk

To all my devoted Bloggers, 

   We just went to Venice and got to experience the Biennale for architecture. The Biennale is a gathering of architecture from many different countries. The theme this year is Common Ground, directed by David Chipperfield, who explains that "The emphasis of the 2012 Biennale is on what we have in common. Above all, the ambition of Common Ground is to reassert the existence of an architectural culture, made up not just of singular talents but a rich continuity of diverse ideas united in a common history, common ambitions, common predicaments and ideals. In architecture everything begins with the ground. It is our physical datum, where we make the first mark, digging the foundations that will support our shelter". (La Biennale di Venezia) 

         

         When I arrived at the Biennale, I had no idea what to expect. I have honestly never heard of it until my group did a presentation about Venice before we left for our trip. So I had I hopes for what I was about to see. Once I started walking through the exhibits, all I could do was look in awe. Everything around me was amazing. There were models everywhere! Each exhibit presented something new and different from the previous one. There were a few that I really liked in particular.

 One was the O’Donnell and Tuomey's wooden structure. When I first saw the wooden structure, I thought I looked like a giant chimney that you could walk through. After walking through the full scale model, I felt like it squeezed and then released as a space. I thought the woven pattern of the wood was fascinating by being able to see through little windows to the other side. Then I read about the project. O’Donnell and Tuomey built this structure as a response to Venice and its history. The timber work and brick work is evident within the architecture of Venice. Bricks were casted by wood and then a person had to break the brick away from the wood after it dried. The use of wood pilling up horizontally and parallel to the bricks in the Arsenale is their way of representing Venetian history. (O'Donnell and Tuomey) After reading this, I was amazed at how they were able to represent this piece of history contained by a wooden structure that looks like a chimney. 

        Another project that I really enjoyed was the Russian Pavilion in the Giardini. In the Giardini, there are pavilions representing each country, whereas in the Arsenale there were projects spread around representing specific architecture firms. The Russian Pavilion is a grid of QR codes throughout the inside of the building. As you walk in, a person hands you an Ipad and you scan the QR codes. Then information is revealed about the Skolkovo. At the bottom level of the Pavilion there is a room with little holes that show images of the past that lead up to the Strolkovo project. (Russian Pavilion) I liked how the pavilion integrated technology with their building so a person can see how the Strolkovo was constructed. It was very futuristic and the inside was an experience that put a person in awe. Even today, I’m still in shock of how amazing the Russian Pavilion was.

            Overall, the Biennale was an experience I will never forget. There were so many projects to see. If I could do it again, I would devote two days to explore the Biennale. One day to see the Arsenale and the other for the Giardini. I wonder what will be at the next Biennale in 2014. 

Links
La Biennale di Venezia 
O'Donnell and Tuomey
The Russian Pavilion