Woodhead in association with the Italian Trade Commission and Euroluce have hosted an event in Sydney for the architecture and design community to celebrate the Venice Architecture Biennale.
In a presentation introduced by Penny Craswell, Editor of Artichoke Magazine, David highlighted what he believes the key themes and outcomes of the event were as well as his picks for the best national pavilions and installations. The purpose of the Biennale, as explained by David, was to incite international architectural dialogue and ask the industry to present their visions for the future of cities, habitation and technological transfer. The theme for this years Biennale was ‘People meet in Architecture’. Director Kazuyo Sejima asked each participating nation to respond by investigating the relationship between people and architecture and how each effect the other. Sejima is the first female director of the Architecture Biennale and her efforts and influence resulted in a display that was more humanist at its core.
David went on to describe his picks for the most compelling and provocative exhibitions and national pavilions. In no particular order his favourite included:
- Australia, for commenting on how the developing up on the east coast contrasts the digging down in the west (mining) and how this will impact the Australian landscape in 2050
- Bahrain, for its inherent humility and use of transient forms of recycled timbed to create meeting spaces suspended over water
- Greece, for its strong message advocating sustainable living, sensorial experience and utilitarian focus
- Hungary, for its beautifully executed delivery of the fundamental notion that the pencil created the lines that create the spaces we inhabit
- Romania, for letting visitors experience a room exactly 94sqm in size, which is what the residents of Bucharest each inhabit, and in doing so questioning our use of space, of light and of perception
This talk is part of a series being held to celebrate the Sydney Italian Festival. David will next speak on the influence of Italian design on the urban planning of Sydney. This will be held later in the month in Martin Place, Sydney.
