Australia to Bring a Prairie of Thousands of Plants to 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale

The Australian Institute of Architects has selected architects Mauro Baracco and Louise Wright of Baracco + Wright, along with artist Linda Tegg, to design the Australian Pavilion at the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale, running from May 26 to November 25, 2018, and directed by Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara. Their immersive installation will feature thousands of live plants cultivated inside the pavilion, accompanied by large projections, creating an Australian prairie in the Venetian lagoon. The project responds to the Biennale's theme of "Freespace" through the concept of "Repair," aiming to stimulate new ways of thinking and seeing the world. Architects and landscape architects can submit exemplary projects of "civic, social, cultural, economic, or environmental repair" by September 25, 2017, to be integrated into the installation. Additional contributors include architect Paul Memmott, landscape architects Chris Sawyer and Tim O'Loan, and curatorial advisor Catherine Murphy. The pavilion, designed by Denton Corker Marshall Architects, opened in May 2015. This marks Australia's seventh national participation coordinated by the Australian Institute of Architects. At the 2016 Biennale directed by Alejandro Aravena, Australia presented "The Pool," a shallow pool installation by Aileen Sege Architects and Michelle Tabet that explored the relationship between swimming pools, architecture, and Australian identity.