With the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale approaching, ArchDaily Brasil interviewed the curators of the Brazilian pavilion – Laura González Fierro, Sol Camacho, Gabriel Kozlowski, and Marcelo Maia Rosa – to better understand their curatorial proposal and clarify details of public participation in this endeavor.
Read the interview below:
How does 2018 begin for the curatorial team of the Brazilian pavilion for the 16th International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale?
We enter 2018 with high expectations and plenty of work ahead!
In late December – on the 19th – we launched the first open call for projects for a Brazilian pavilion in Venice, aiming to broaden the conversation on how the country should present itself to the world. This opens up the possibility of showcasing lesser-known projects from new offices and diverse locations.
What is the purpose of the open call?
The goal of the open call is to showcase national architectural production that directly addresses the themes of walls, divisions, borders, and conflict resolution.
The call is not a competition for the best or most beautiful project. The idea of this part of the exhibition is to build an argument through these projects, showing the role of architecture as a tool for negotiation in urban situations.
Of course, this does not mean that fundamental architectural elements – such as spatial connections, program, aesthetics, and tectonics, for example – are not considered. Ultimately, architecture is not a theoretical argument but a space for human interaction; however, we want to emphasize projects that address this issue of separation and, through their design solutions, add value to the city.
Why is this important?
The Venice Biennale is a global platform for discussing architecture – architecture in its various dimensions that addresses the world's current issues. We would like to use this space to show how our country's architectural production has been tackling some of the issues on today's agenda, particularly – and speaking very broadly – the polarization and division that has been pulling us apart. These "walls of air" we are constantly building.
How did the idea for the open call come about?
Outside the Brazilian context, the idea itself is nothing new. On the contrary, it is already a very widespread practice in other countries. The Bienal Foundation invited us with the idea of bringing in diverse voices and different perspectives. Two of us are foreigners working in Brazil, one has been working abroad for a few years, and all four of us operate across very different scales and contexts. For us, this was a strong motivator to carry this idea forward and bring the greatest possible diversity of voices to the exhibition. At its core, the open call is a first step in the process of democratizing this exhibition.
How many projects will be selected?
There is no limit. We expect to showcase between 15 and 20 projects. We are hoping for a strong response, and the more we receive, the better. This will allow us to truly assess the possibilities of architecture in relation to this theme within the context of Brazilian cities.
We encourage the architectural community to participate. The process is very simple, and the submission material does not require much work. Visit the website (www.murosdear.org.br) and you will see that, in this first phase, we only ask for a description and four drawings or images. Since this is the first time this has been done, we tried to make the process as easy as possible.
What is the deadline?
January 19th at 11:00 PM.
How will these projects be exhibited?
Once the selection is made, we will ask the authors of the chosen projects to provide the final material within a standardized format. We aim to establish a unified visual language to effectively communicate the main concept of how each project deals with the divisions of its urban context. Again, the goal is not to show the project in its entirety, but rather the specific way it relates to the theme of the exhibition.
In addition, we will allocate the same amount of space to each project within the first room of the Pavilion, regardless of its scale or national recognition.
You mentioned the first room; what will happen in the second one, then?
The projects make up the first part of the exhibition, serving as an introduction to the "Walls of Air" theme. The other part of the exhibition will consist of large cartographic drawings. Each of these will discuss different aspects of the country's urbanization through the lens of architecture, addressing issues related to the various scales of borders and walls built during the construction of the Brazilian territory, as well as within architecture itself as a discipline.
Who is working on the production of these drawings?
The large panels are being produced by the four of us and a team of young architects working across three cities (São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Cambridge in the United States). We also have the collaboration of an incredible number of consultants, academic research groups, and private entities from various disciplines. This was a curatorial decision to reinforce the idea of opening up the conversation and inviting professionals with different perspectives to participate in the exhibition. They connect the Architecture Biennale with other "worlds." We will announce the participation of all collaborators in the coming weeks as we finalize partnerships.
Any final comments?
The Biennale is an opportunity to move beyond the closed conversations of academia or professional practice alone. It offers a chance to integrate these fields with many others: private companies, government agencies, developers, financial institutions, and construction managers.
We want to emphasize that architecture does not end with itself, and by extension, neither should the Biennale. We want to bring visibility to the process and engage society to build bridges between architecture and other disciplines.
We will share more information as we progress toward the opening on May 24th. Stay tuned!
Conheça os curadores do pavilhão brasileiro na 16a Bienal de Veneza em 2018
A Fundação Bienal de São Paulo nomeou as arquitetas Laura González Fierro e Sol Camacho e os arquitetos Gabriel Kozlowski e Marcelo Maia Rosa como curadores da representação brasileira na próxima edição da Bienal de Arquitetura de Veneza, que será inaugurada no sábado, 26 de maio e ocorrerá até o domingo, 25 de novembro de 2018.
This article was written by Pedro Vada. The translation is powered by AI.
