WORK, BODY, LEISURE
20 December 2018 - 9 March 2019
Winner Outside the Box
'Europa' by CENTRAL office for architecture and urbanism wins Open Call Outside the Box for the 16th Biennale Architettura 2018
On the occasion of the 16th Biennale Architettura 2018 and in response to its general theme 'Freespace', the Belgian, Dutch and Spanish pavilions teams launched a joint Open Call in January. The winning entry, 'Europa' by CENTRAL office for architecture and urbanism, will be presented on May 26 during the official opening of the 16th Biennale Architettura 2018.
In less than a month the curatorial teams received 176 entries by participants from more than 50 countries and many professional backgrounds. The Belgian, Dutch and Spanish teams were impressed by the variety of the topics, the originality of the spatial interventions, and the forms of political engagement proposed to reconsider the role and protocols of the opening ceremony in the setting of the Venice Giardini.
Winning entry: 'Europa'
CENTRAL office for architecture and urbanism (Pierre Burquel, Radim Louda, Paul Mouchet and Valentin Piret)
ESPAÑA, BELGIO and OLANDA - three pavilions with their own architectural identities and their country's names displayed on their façades, a simplified but true tale of national pride. As a counterpoint to the current spirit of withdrawal into oneself, they propose to change the country's names on the pavilions' façades by overwriting them with six simple letters; 'Europa' in bright, coloured neon lights. These six letters represent a common symbol celebrating openness, collaboration and courage that outshines nationalistic and bureaucratic powers, a geographical and humanist bond between the three countries and many others.
With this subtle, yet bold gesture, the winning proposal evokes the sentiment of an imagined space of open borders, free circulation, equality, solidarity and diversity. It addresses Europe beyond the European Union, engaging in a form of representation that transcends the identity of the nation state and thus fulfills the Open Call's ambition to question the methodological nationalism associated with the idea of an enclosed pavilion.
CENTRAL office for architecture and urbanism is a Brussels-based practice founded in 2015 by four associates from different European backgrounds. After extensive experience as project leaders in different offices in Belgium, Ljubljana and Paris, Pierre Burquel, Radim Louda, Paul Mouchet and Valentin Piret established a joint practice based around the strong belief that architecture has to be shaped by the relationship it creates with its environment. It needs to consist of a systemic approach that takes all the elements of a project into account with the same degree of attention, all influencing each other.
Honourable mention: 'Question Project'
Mil M2 (Constanza Carvajal, Diego Cortes, María Jose Jana, Cecilia Moya, Fernando Portal and Pedro Sepulveda)
The inter-disciplinary artist collective Mil M2, proposed the 'Question Project', a tool aimed at fostering critical thinking through empathy and enabling site-specific exchange between strangers. Over the last four years, the project has been developed in more than 90 public spaces and cultural institutions in Europe and South America. The 'Question Project' fosters dialogue through an interactive installation that provides a space for discussing common concerns on pressing spatial and political issues. It engages the audience and allows for the visitors' voices to be heard and anonymously staged in a platform that fosters questioning, vulnerability and sharing.
Honourable mention: 'RGB'
Rocco Vitali and Oliviero Vitali
_"Three pavilions, three countries, three flags: one hundred chairs." _Converting the colors of the flags from the three countries into a hundred chairs, 'RGB' by Rocco Vitali and Oliviero Vitali, conceives of a collective gathering as an ever-changing spatial intervention in the Giardini. By dissolving flags and blurring the boundaries between national demarcations over time, the project uses a visual metaphor that aims to open up new spaces for exchange and dialogue.