Freespace
The design that descended on Venice and transformed the archipelago
“Freespace” is the theme for the Venice Architecture Biennale 2018, which opened its door in late May. This theme has allowed exhibitors great creative freedoms. Countless exhibitions have taken differentiated approaches to the theme but the key sentiment appears to be “generosity”, in reference to the manifesto by the curators Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara. Many works question architecture as a civil society tool that “gives shelter to our bodies and lifts our spirits,” as the curators articulated.
With 435 projects “tattooed” on its walls, the Spanish Pavilion is transformed into a freespace that can be read as a database or as an immersive landscape. The U.S. Pavilion presents installations exploring different facets of the theme “Dimensions of Citizenship.” 7 architecture and design teams have been commissioned to each explore a spatial scale of the pavilion’s theme, grappling with questions of belonging, sovereignty, and ecology. A special dance pavilion extends the freespace theme off the island and into the urban mainland district, bringing visitors and local residents together.
Because the Biennale lasts until November, there’s still months’ worth of exploration of the pluralism of voices bound by the common motif.
Sources: La Bieannale di Venezia | Dimensions of Citizenship | designboom (June 21, 2018) | Image: Laura Pittaccio