Top 5 Picks: Venice Architecture Biennale, 2008

The theme of this year’s Biennale of Architecture in Venice, which opened on Sunday, is ‘Out There: Architecture Without Building’ so we thought it appropriate to review it from afar, from ‘Out Here:‘ as it were. Curator Aaron Betsky has this to say:

"Architecture must go beyond buildings because buildings are not enough. They are big and wasteful accumulations of natural resources that are difficult to adapt to the continually changing
conditions of modern life…Most buildings are ugly, useless and wasteful"

Hmm.

Whether one agrees with Betsky or not, there are still great things
to see at this year’s Biennale. It’s difficult to narrow the choices
down to five but through the magic of the internet, we’ve managed to
put together a ‘mash-up’ of sorts; the best of the best. We scoured
journals, blogs, Flickr and others to bring you this fresh list of
sights, sounds and events not to be missed at this years event. Send us
a postcard!

1. Italian pavilion

With a nod to our hosts, these photos are two of my favorites from
this year’s Biennale; NL Architects on the right, and Collectif Exyzt’s
Wii game on the left. Though
from certain sources, the effect of the Italian pavilion in person is
far less
exuberant. From the excellent ‘David Report‘:

"I would like to note that the Italian Pavilion, if not the entire
Biennale, had a melancholic yearning that reminded me time and time
again of the works of Italian Radical Architecture from the late 60’s,
early 70’s. I was shocked that no credit or space was given to
Superstudio, Archigram, Archizoom, Pettena or UFO by the curators nor
the individual exhibitors who ‘sampled’ ideas and substance from these
pioneers at almost every turn." -read the rest…

2. 1907… after the party, Belgian pavilion

In a similar vein—though less seriously—irony is on the scene. The Belgian pavilion is wonderfully
over-the-top. Office Kersten Geers David van Severen took
the Belgian pavilion, surrounded it with a seven meter steel wall,
emptied the interior of the building and covered the floors with
confetti. As if to say, ‘Architecture is to be built, not exhibited!’
Nice photos at DesignBoom…

3. Fantastic Norway

At the opposite end of the spectrum is the Fantastic Norway caravan.
I love these guys! Here is what they have to say for themselves: "The
caravan functions as a mobile platform for architectural
discussions, debates and workshops. We gather ideas, suggestions and
local knowledge from the communities we work in and utilize the
collected information in the design process. Places are stitched
together by the stories and lives of people living there." -read the rest on their site…

4. Gaasitoru Gas Pipe, Estonian Exposition

Monumental sculpture meets political activism meets…Venice? It’s not
hard to see how the Estonian Exposition has become a hit at this year’s
Biennale. According to an interview in the Baltic Business News it was an eventful evolution for the architects, “When we introduced the project to the board of Biennale, the first reaction
was a clear no – the Italians didn’t want to see this project, uncomfortable in
both essence and construction, on the Biennale,” commented Maarja Kask, “Thanks
to the support of the general curator of this Biennale, Aaron Betsky, we were
allowed in the end to install the gas pipe if we get permission to from all the
states whose pavilion the pipe will pass in front of.”

5. Into the Open: Positioning Practice, American pavilion

With the participation of some of our favorites,
including Rural Studio, Rebar and CLUI, the garden out front seems to have been the winner,
even with the typos [radichio, not raddichio...]. According to the team, the US exhibition explores,
"…how architects,
urban researchers, and community activists are meeting the challenges
of creating new work in response to contemporary social conditions and
addresses factors challenging traditional methods of architecture, such
as shifting socio-cultural demographics, changing geo-political
boundaries, uneven economic development, and the explosion of migration
and urbanization."

The Biennale runs through November 23rd. For more information go to: http://www.labiennale.org/en/architecture/