By: Emma Lyne Pouch
Traveling
takes you to the places you’ve always dreamed of seeing, the sites you have
only been able to experience through pictures and settings that you only come
across when wandering. Often times we are not prepared for the journey before
us and something takes us completely by surprise. In my most recent travels to
Venice, the Biennale was that experience that continued to take my breathe away
as I turned every corner and ventured through each individual exhibit. They succeeded in finding the perfect
combination of lighting, materials, media and arrangement that kept my camera
snapping and my eyes focused on each project, yet excited for what was still to
come. The exhibition that undoubtedly captured my attention was Grounds for Detroit due to the way it
took a single space and gave it a new rendition showing the opportunity to a
part of the city in decay.
This
project began with five architects coming together and buying an abandoned single-family
house located at 13178 Moran Street in Detroit. The house cost $500 paid in
cash at auction and from there they let their minds wander and discover the
potential of what that space could be. What we see of this project is not a
livable home but concepts to give a new perspective to the existing. As you
walk into the space you notice on the floor the original plans revealing the
earlier condition. In this we see the kitchen, dining room, bathroom and
bedrooms that are outlined with a metal frame to represent the past as the new
interiors put forward the ideas for the future. 
It
is in these interior spaces where I find the most intriguing elements. They
take shaping space to a new level giving it an entirely new purpose. Upon
entering the exhibit we find on our right an outline of what was once a garage
implied by a delicate yet dark form floating in space and casting shadows on
the ground below. It is mysterious
and haunting, resembling the run down feel of the current condition of the
neighborhoods near Moran Street in Detroit. But as we look to the left we see a
house suggested by the mesh-covered frame, yet the first thing my eye noticed
was the variety in materials. The sculpture like space creates an abstract form
with forced perspective and opposing walls of wood and mirrors with slats that
challenge the mind and make you question what is actually before you. As you
walk around the space you find each room filled with new materials, colors and
perspective that leave you wondering, “What is this?” We may not understand at
first glance but it isn’t supposed to be easy. It is to spark new ideas and
create a spirit for a place that is dead. To make us rethink what has so long
been set in stone when giving purpose to space. This select group of architects
molds a space to form future opportunities. 
To
conclude this exhibit the back walls that you view before leaving this space
supplies a collection of different medias that show the real transformation
happening in Detroit. They put on display the new approach of architectural
practice and reveal how our imagination can revitalize a city. In Diego Hernandez’s
blog he states, “Architecture is cast as a means rather than an ends- a means
to finding opportunity rather than solving problems- a technique that resonates
with the contemporary condition of a city like Detroit.”
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