The British Council have announced that Caruso St John Architects and artist Marcus Taylor have been selected as the curatorial team for the British Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2018.

The winning proposal by Adam Caruso, Peter St. John, the founding partners of architecture practice Caruso St. John, and artist Marcus Taylor is entitled Island, and will be the theme of the British Pavilion at the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale.

The concept engages with current political debates and responds to the theme of Freespace, set by 2018 Venice Biennale curators Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara of Grafton Architects. The proposal was submitted by means of an open call with reference to Shakespeare’s The Tempest.

"Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises; Sounds and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not.” The Tempest, William Shakespeare

According to the architects, the exhibition will address the UK's decision to leave the European Union, by creating a space that aims to welcome visitors. Following an open call, a panel of architecture and design specialists from across the UK selected the winning team from a shortlist of four proposals.
 

"It is an honour for us to have been selected to curate the British Pavilion. In the year before Brexit, we plan to transform the building into a generous public space that can be a popular meeting point within the gardens of the Biennale." Peter St John, Partner at Caruso St John Architects

"The open call generated a strong field of proposals but the panel was unanimous in its selection. The uncertainties that exist in today’s world give the British Pavilion a new imperative and Island promises to be a thought-provoking installation that I am confident will spark debate." Sarah Mann, Director of Architecture Design Fashion, British Council
 

Adam Caruso and Peter St John won the Stirling Prize in 2016 for their Newport Street Gallery for Damien Hirst. They have worked on several major arts projects including Tate Britain Millbank and Nottingham Contemporary. Marcus Taylor, originally from Northern Ireland, has collaborated on several projects with the practice, including most recently a joint submission for the UK Holocaust Memorial.

The 16th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia will run from 26 May to 25 November 2018 in Venice.

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Caruso St John Architects established their practice in 1990. The office of approximately 30 work in an open studio in a 1930s factory building in East London which the practice converted to studio use for themselves. In 2010 a second office was opened by the practice in Zurich.

Adam Caruso studied architecture at McGill University in Montreal. He worked for Florian Beigel and Arup Associates before establishing his own practice with Peter St John in 1990.

He taught at the University of North London from 1990-2000, and was Professor of Architecture at the University of Bath from 2002-2005. He has been Visiting Professor at the Academy of Architecture in Mendrisio, at the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University, at the ETH Zurich, and on the Cities Programme at the London School of Economics. In 2011 Adam Caruso was appointed Professor of Architecture and Construction at the ETH Zurich.

Peter St John began his architectural studies at the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London, completing them at the Architectural Association in 1984. He worked for Richard Rogers, Florian Beigel, Dixon Jones, and Arup Associates prior to establishing his own practice with Adam Caruso.

Peter taught at the University of North London from 1990-2000. He was a Visiting Professor at the Academy of Architecture in Mendrisio, Switzerland from 1999-2001, and Visiting Professor in the Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering at the University of Bath from 2001-2004. In 2005 he was a visiting critic at the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University. From 2007 to 2009 he was a visiting professor at ETH in Zurich. He is currently an external examiner at the Scott Sutherland School of Architecture in Aberdeen and Cardiff School of Architecture.

Rod Heyes studied architecture at Cambridge University and the University of North London (now London Metropolitan University). He joined Caruso St John in 1998 and was made a senior associate in 2005. He plays a major role in the management of the practice, dealing specifically with resourcing and programming. He was project architect for the Brick House, the refurbishment of the Barbican Concert Hall, Spike Island in Bristol and Chiswick House Cafe. Rod is currently leading the practice's work at Tate Britain. He has taught architecture at the University of Bath and at London Metropolitan University and has led Diploma Unit 4 at Kingston University for the last three years. He has lectured widely in the UK including Plymouth Univeristy, the Univerity of Greenwich and Edinburgh University.

www.carusostjohn.com

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+44 20 7613 3161

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Marcus Taylor was born in Belfast in 1964. He grew up in Northern Ireland before attending Camberwell School of Art (BA) and The Slade School (Postgraduate). He has exhibited widely in the UK and abroad including the Saatchi Gallery and the British Art Show. His work has been collected by several major institutions including the Tate, Fondation Cartier and private collectors. He has worked on large scale projects including a bridge over Paddington Basin with engineers Buro Happold.

Recently he has collaborated with Caruso St John Architects on a proposal for the UK Holocaust Memorial, one of 10 shortlisted projects. He has been awarded a RIBA East Award, RIBA East Small Project Award and has been nominated for the RIBA House of the Year for a collaborative project with Lisa Shell Architects. This was also commended in the 2017 Architectural Review House award. He lives and works in London.
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Published on: September 30, 2017
Cite: "The Tempest vs Island. Caruso St John to curate British Pavilion at the 16th Venice Architecture Biennale" METALOCUS. Accessed
<http://www.metalocus.es/en/news/tempest-vs-island-caruso-st-john-curate-british-pavilion-16th-venice-architecture-biennale> ISSN 1139-6415
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