Amidst a torrential downpour, the 16th International Architecture Exhibition was presented in Venice this past week to an eager crowd awaiting news of this year’s event. Missing from the stage, however, were two of the Venice Biennale's most important figures, Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara. Appointed as curators of the international exhibit by President Paolo Baratta, the Irish duo better known as Grafton Architects have already made a name for themselves in Italy with the newest addition to Milan’s Bocconi University.
Thanks to the freezing Buran winds sweeping across northern Italy and the heavy snowfall caused by Storm Emma, the Irish architects were stuck in Dublin for the important presentation. Lucky for us, the creative pair were able to connect via Skype, sharing their views on the upcoming kermesse from the comfort of home. Following in the tradition of years past, this year’s curators were introduced by Baratta himself, a charismatic figure with an undeniable presence who seems to be in his element on stage. Speaking on the upcoming show while looking to past editions, the president highlighted the rise of architecture as a politically charged form of art, responsible for producing public assets. These, he claims, can be the result of collective political policies and acts or rather as a gift from a singular entity.
With a focus on the FREESPACE manifesto released last June, the presentation spoke of a universal right to benefit from architecture. In the forthcoming edition of the Venice Biennale curated by Grafton Architects, this gift takes the form of a space that’s completely open and gratuitous, as the title might suggest. Just like the sun, the air, and the water, the gift of space is for all to enjoy. The sense of humanity at the very core of architecture will be examined this year along with its ability to provide for the “well being and dignity of each citizen of this fragile planet”. Farrel and McNamara focus on this generosity as a timeless quality found in the past, present, and future.
Scouring the international scene for the last two months, the Irish architects have selected the 71 participants to be on display from May 26th to November 25th in Venice. With the main exhibition divided between the Central Pavilion of the Giardini and the Arsenale, an additional 29 participants will have their work displayed in the two Special Sections.
When the duo get to talking about the event’s location (the Central Pavilion of the Giardini and the Arsenale) they quickly shed the role of curators for that of architects in an effortless transition. Set in entirely different environments (the first resembling that of a labyrinth with zenithal light, the second an open space illuminated by morphing light), Yvonne and Shelley underline the centrality of the project while celebrating the local area. Here, the gorgeous city of Venice serves as the backdrop where a further 65 national pavilions will present their work. Among these, the Holy See will make its first appearance on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore.
More information on the curation of the individual exhibits has yet to be presented, although the complex nature of space as a whole is sure to be at the center of attention. With just months to go, discretion reigns supreme and we’re left with a diverse list of international artists along with the ever-present FREESPACE manifesto issued by Grafton just last year.
A few clues were drawn from images in the Skype presentation, which the duo used as inspiration to guide their research. Among the references were projects that give “shelter to our bodies and lifts our spirits”, including the interiors of the Venetian Palazzo Fortuny, the entrance to Can Lis in Mallorca by Jørn Utzon, and the Museum of Modern Art by Lina Bo Bardi in São Paulo.
Eminent examples that represent, on a spatial level, “a ‘word’ of greeting, of welcome” and that exalt “the role of architecture in the choreography of daily life.”
In closing, the pair look to a Greek proverb to highlight the overarching concept of spatial generosity: “A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in”.
