But we see –
the clouds like furious ink
thick liquid sinks and
whips the wind
pitch shifted
rumble, screams from a swollen grin –
there’s a big storm rolling in
From Brews by Kate Tempest. Let Them Eat Chaos
The
curatorial team,
Caruso St John Architects with artist
Marcus Taylor, have responded to event's Freespace, the theme of Biennale Architettura 2018 with the construction of a new public gathering space in the Giardini. Two different settings. Contrasting the new public gathering space on the roof, the interior of the pavilion has been left intentionally untouched after the last art exhibition in 2017.
Visitors approaching the British Pavilion will find the building covered with scaffolding supporting a wooden platform at roof-level. A staircase running the length of one side of the building leads up to an elevated piazza, a place to meet or to relax amongst the tree-tops of the Giardini, open to the sky with views across the Lagoon. Tea will be served at 4 p.m. each day, with seats and umbrellas offering comfort and shade. The peak of the Pavilion’s roof projects up through the floor at the centre of the space, suggesting both an island and a sunken world beneath.
In a joint statement, the curatorial team of Adam Caruso, Peter St John and Marcus Taylor said:
“In past Biennales, the Pavilion has held curated exhibitions on architectural themes. This year, we have taken a different approach. There will be no exhibits; instead we have realised a structure that can be experienced like a building. There are many ways to interpret the experience of visiting Island and the state of the building suggests many themes; including abandonment, reconstruction, sanctuary, Brexit, isolation, colonialism and climate change. It is intended as a platform, in this case also literally, for a new and optimistic beginning. It is forward looking whilst acknowledging the past, whether good or bad.”
Throughout La Biennale di Venezia, the British Pavilion will host a programme of events, performances, installations and debates responding to the theme Freespace and ideas raised by Island. The programme has been produced in of collaboration with partners including Tate Collective, the Royal Academy of Arts, the Design Museum, musician Matthew Herbert, poet Inua Ellams, Studio Wayne McGregor and many more. It will address topics ranging from migration and decolonisation to language and borders, from isolation and identity to buildings and landscapes.
The programme is launched at the opening of the Pavilion with a performance by spoken word artist Kate Tempest. On Friday 25 May, the Pavilion hosts the Royal Institute of British Architects’ EUROPA Super Session, to explore the future of architecture practice across Europe at this pivotal moment in history. This is followed by No Place Like Home, in which experts from a range of backgrounds present their perspectives on climate change and migration. With the exception of these performances, the building will be empty, abandoned and untouched after the last exhibition. A detailed Pavilion schedule will be made available to visitors at the start of each month from June to November.