By: Chris Melton
During our group's visit to Venice, we were able to attend the architecture Biennale, an event that is held for architecture every other year where different firms, architects, and countries come together to share ideas and work. We were fortunate enough to be able to visit both sections of the Biennale in one day; and my first impression of the convention as a whole was just how impressive of a variety of which different architects, firms, and countries chose to present their works. Exhibits ranged from large, inhabitable models, to fully crafted master plans, drawings, renderings, and everything else that lies in between. The only way to describe the sheer amount of information at this event was excessive. The most interesting aspect about this convention for me, was not just how different the presentation styles and projects between the two pavilions was, but how vastly varied each exhibit was inside of each pavilion. Both pavilions were fantastic in their own right, and singling out just a few presentations from each one does neither justice, so I would like to take some time to talk about what I found the most interesting at the first pavilion.
One of the best features of the first pavilion was the way in which it introduced the theme of the Biennale at the beginning of the exhibit. This set the bar for the rest of the presentations, most of which were crafted with this theme in mind. When you first walked in, the words "Common Ground," which of course was the theme, were boldly placed on the wall in front of you, and all around the room were posters (shown above) that further elaborated on the meaning of this theme. Upon reflection, one of the things that I found the most interesting was just how much in-progress work the architects chose to present in order to show process and narrative in the absence of an oral presentation. As I got to inspect everything from napkin sketches, to parti's, to different in-progress models (shown below), all of this process work showed something that the final model or project never could; how the architect thought and problem-solved to create the final project. This was a very interesting aspect for me, almost like a small glimpse into that firms' office, and it was probably why I enjoyed the first pavilion so much.
The second thing that I found the most interesting about this pavilion was the wide variety in how the architects showcased their work. Some presented very basic, clean models and master plans, while on the contrary some others compiled together with other firms and architects to create one master work. These works often came together using different methods and ideas that then created a model or master plan that was a hodgepodge of different ideas and styles that was actually quite interesting. I still feel strongly about how awesome of a feeling it was to walk from room to room and continually be just as interested in every new room. One of the presentations that excelled in this regard was the second room, the room that was directed by Norman Foster. From the instant you enter the room's threshold, the lack of lighting and music set the scene for a different experience for when you turn the corner. Shown below, Foster had thousands of words and pixels being projected across the walls, floors, and people as they walked about, as well as two video along the walls that presented his thoughts and ideas on the theme of Common Ground. This experience was entirely subjective, the more the viewer stayed and studied, the more they could understand and get out of it, but its boldness is why I enjoyed it so much. Overall, the Biennale was a fantastic sight to see, and I felt that its' theme for this year's convention was perfect. The fact that there are so many different ways to view, create, and present any architectural project is in fact the Common Ground that all architects stand on, and being able to explore this through the Biennale was definitely the best part of our Venice experience.
No comments:
Post a Comment