Probably few remember or know the story of Riccardo Selvatico and consequently of the Venice Biennale. Selvatico was born in Venice in 1849, he was an enlightened intellectual; poet and playwright. At the end of the nineteenth century he became mayor of the city of Venice and his intuition changed the history of his city forever. The municipal administration of Venice, led by him, deliberates during the council meeting of 19 April 1893 to establish a biennial national artistic exhibition, to be inaugurated on 22 April 1894. From that idea a prestigious institution was born that still today contributes to of Venice one of the main cultural cities in the world. Right from the start Selvatico e & decided that the initiative should have a strong international scope and so they invited foreign governments to build pavilions on the grounds of the Gardens with projects by the most important architects of the twentieth century. The land was offered for free, but ownership remained in the foreign country.
The first foreign pavilion, that of Belgium, was built in 1907; the eighth Biennale of 1909 was enriched with three new foreign pavilions. The pavilion of Great Britain which was not built from scratch, but an existing building was used. The German pavilion, built next to the English one on the hillock of the Giardini, and the Hungarian pavilion. The pavilions of France and Sweden were erected in 1912, both designed and built directly by the Biennale. Today the Giardini area has 29 pavilions.
The first consideration, probably also trivial but necessary to make, is that a Foundation such as the Venice Biennale through the impressive cultural activity produced throughout the year with the different cultural events of the different disciplines (Art, Music, Cinema, Theater, Architecture and Dance) attracts millions of visitors to Venice every year with a consequent important economic impact on the city. The second reflection is of a purely political nature. In the Giardini della Biennale di Venezia, we have said that 29 pavilions of as many countries of the world are hosted, which several times a year are animated by the cultural initiatives promoted by the respective Cultural Ministries of each country.
All this means that the most important cultural exponents of all the countries of the world visit Venice several times a year and the administrators of Venice and the cultural operators of our country. Do we have the idea of how important all this can be on a national and international political level? What national and international centrality does the Biennale device give to Venice and our country?
Given this brief historical reconstruction, we come to our days and to the seventeenth Biennale of Architecture curated by Hashim Sarkis |, architect and lecturer born in Beirut in 1964.
“How will we live together?” (literally: “How will we live together?”) is the title of this edition of the Biennale, which intends to investigate concrete approaches and solutions, with an eye to the future, in a plural and inclusive dimension not only between peoples but also between species.
A Biennale mistakenly criticized too much because with little architecture in a historical moment in which the urgency of today and the complexity of the world require us not only for new transdisciplinary approaches but above all to deal with the problems of people and our environment.
Five sections of this Biennale. How we will live together: as human beings among the different species, as new families, as emerging communities, between different countries, as a single planet.
Like every Biennale, there are many valuable food for thought, others decidedly less. The Arsenale wins out over the Giardini, while the weighty Pavilions of France, Germany, Japan and Russia are disappointing.
The United States of America Pavilion is beautiful, with “American Framing” by Paul Andersen e Paul Preissner, a huge wooden installation-playground becomes the gateway to the Roosevelt and Aldrich Pavilion of the thirties to reflect on the social value of wood that eliminates the distinctions of type and class. At the top of the installation, an incomparable view of the Gardens, makes us reflect on the power of Riccardo Selvatico’s intuition when he thought of transforming anonymous public gardens into the largest container of art and culture in the world.
Bravo Alessandro Melis curator of the Italian Pavilion with “Comunità Resilienti” articulates an impressive story of a country that is rethinking from below, from the peripheries, outside the palaces of power. “Detoxifying architecture from inequalities” by RebelArchitette deals with the theme of intersectionality and the role of the female perspective; universities as resilience agencies edited by Maurizio Carta; Jericho the brilliant project by Francesco Lipari of a terraforming, mobile and ecological machine conceived in order to fertilize and re-naturalize agricultural lands lacking the original productive capacity, as a response to the problem of containing soil consumption; the “Laboratorio Peccioli” a small Pisan village that manages a gigantic landfill in an excellent way, transforming garbage and waste into energy, services, opportunities and wealth, beauty and well-being. If you don’t believe it, take a look at the suspended terrace of Mario Cucinella, a wonderful springboard over the valley to enjoy an extraordinary breathtaking view.
At the Arsenale there are many fascinating suggestions: “Refuge for Resurgence” by Superflux, is a dining table set up for a multi-species banquet set after the end of the world; the barrio “La Palomera” in Caracas by Enlace Arcquitectura, tells of a network of green spaces consisting of almost two hectares of stairways, paths, courtyards and squares rich in vegetation with dozens of vegetable gardens and gardens with plants grown for cooking, to take care of the diseases and keeping insects away; EFFEKT’s “Ego to Eco”, former designers of the “Urban Village Project” for SPACE10 and Ikea, propose a vision for sustainable communities that respect nature, rethinking the way in which to design, finance, build and manage homes; “Floating University” near the former Tempelhof airport in Berlin by Raumlabor, brings together man and nature, in a polluted reservoir a place for encounters and surprises is created to stimulate ideas and relationships.
“How to Begin Again …” by COHSTRA more than any other takes up the challenge of our time, helping citizens to become active citizens and civic leaders, learning to cooperate instead of competing to build a new awareness and new visions, projects, strategies and actions to make cities more sustainable, fair and inclusive.
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