6 minute read
Changing the landscape at the Venice Biennale
Irish Pavilion In Search of HyBrasil. © _AVZ: Andrea Avezzù
Food, agriculture, climate change, gender and geography led the thinking at this year’s Venice Architecture Biennale, making it more relevant than ever to the considerations of landscape architecture.
Every two years Venice is filled with a celebration of architecture – the hopes and aspirations of the profession for the coming years. This year was the 18th incarnation of the Venice Architecture Biennale, which runs from May through to November 2023. The Biennale is made up of a range of exhibitions and pavilions from 89 participants around the world and sits across the Giardini and Arsenale venues of Venice. Alongside this there are numerous fringe events dotted around the city.
The guide describes this year’s biennale as an approach to architecture as ‘an “expanded” field of endeavours, encompassing both the material and immaterial worlds’. It is a bold and important aim for one of the landmark events of the architecture calendar. This year’s Biennale was curated by Lesley Lokko under the theme Laboratory of the Future. Lokko’s intentions were clear, ‘for the first time ever, the spotlight has fallen on Africa and the African Diaspora, that fluid and enmeshed culture of people of African descent that now straddles the globe.’
‘We have deliberately chosen to frame participants as “practitioners”, the curator stated, and not “architects” and/or “urbanists”, “designers”, “landscape architects”, “engineers” or “academics”, because it is our contention that the rich, complex conditions of both Africa and a rapidly hybridising world call for a different and broader understanding of the term “architect”.’
Ultimately, what we should be taking away from this as a profession, whether as landscape professionals or wider built environment professionals, is that we need to stop this preoccupation with trying to define what we should and shouldn’t be doing as individuals within the sector, and instead move towards a more collaborative approach to our work. While there have been some criticisms of this year’s Biennale, suggesting that it doesn’t feature much actual architecture and it could be argued that this is true, it’s certainly not a bad thing. It’s exactly the right direction we should be moving in, and in doing so we are appropriately reshaping the profession to one that is much more collaborative. This year’s Biennale was certainly one made for landscape architects, if ever there was one.
A shift away from the oft found egos of the wider built environment profession, and a concerted effort to develop a collaborative approach to design, is surely welcomed by us all and offers hope.
I have been fortunate enough to attend the 2023 Biennale, which focused on materiality and ecology; it was soft and considered, and moved away from the sometimes brash self-celebratory nature of the built environment profession. It looked at tradition and communities, and drew on these to shape environments rather than create new buildings. There were plenty of pavilions that demonstrated this approach and were a testament to Lesley Lokko’s curation. They ranged from photo essays to composting loos, rooms full of materials, and even a usable basketball court. While at times text heavy and with some seemingly impenetrable meanings behind the pavilions, the tactility of many of the installations allowed visitors to cut through this and the intentions were not lost.
The special projects section demonstrated the shift in focus the most, with three sections on food, agriculture and climate change, gender and geography, and mnemonic. A range of considerations that, it could be argued, focuses almost entirely on themes traditionally associated with landscape architecture and planning.
Ireland
When we talk about softness in the biennale, it is in both a literal sense and a figurative sense. The Irish pavilion, situated at the end of the Arsenale, featured a large pile of wool focused on the carefully balanced ecosystem of community and nature on several small islands around Ireland. All in all, an exceptional case study in resource management and biodiversity management working hand in hand.
Slovenia
Following suit but with a move towards materiality, the Slovenian pavilion also had a soft, tactile nature to its presentation but this time focusing on what’s between the walls: looking at traditional materials that provided ecologically focused insulation. A battle often faced within the landscape profession is one of recognition of the importance of designing from a landscape-first perspective. The Slovenian pavilion almost goes one step further and offers an approach that addressed ‘the issue of ecology as an intrinsic part of architectural design’.
Scotland – Fringe event
There was a small ‘separatist’ section to the main event, including pavilions for Scotland and Catalan. Given the wild beauty of Scotland, it is unsurprising that this had a strong landscape focus. Even the setting added to the delight of the pavilion, with an open front onto the water on a quiet area away from the main hustle and bustle of the event. Again, the focus was on communities, this time on the link between linguistics and the landscape. The site explored how this affects the perception of land and its usage.
Lithuania
Titled the Children’s Forest Pavilion, the creation of a playscape offered delightfully considered approach to design that took into consideration the untarnished view of children. It offered a new perspective on how a space should be used and designed and providing agency to those who will have a central stake in its future, although they may not know it yet. Once again, the tactility and softness (moss and lichen get a special mention) are what made this pavilion shine through.
Ultimately, the main takeaway for the landscape profession from the 18th Venice Architecture Biennale is one of hope and collaboration. A shift away from the oft-found egos of the wider built environment profession, and a concerted effort to develop a collaborative approach to design, is surely welcomed by us all and offers hope. The Landscape Institute’s recent landscape skills and workforce survey demonstrated the breadth of the profession and its place as the glue in many development projects, and this was evident in its role in the projects at the Biennale. We can all move forward with inclusive optimism in many respects.
Lucy Pickford is Chief Operating Officer at London Open City.
