British Mosques at Venice Architecture Biennale with V&A

The 2021 Venice Architecture Biennale features a pavilion dedicated to the history of mosques in the UK, curated by architect Shahled Saleem in collaboration with the V&A. The exhibition, titled 'The British Mosque: An Architectural and Social History,' traces over a century of coexistence between Islamic culture and British society through the stories of three 'improvised' mosques in London's hinterland. Saleem's research documents approximately 1,750 mosques in the UK since the late 19th century, one-third of which were adapted from existing spaces like pubs, private homes, and gyms. The pavilion presents three case studies: Brick Lane Mosque (formerly a synagogue and Huguenot church, now serving the Bengali community, with a metal minaret added in 2009); Old Kent Road Mosque (converted from a pub, now seeking a purpose-built replacement); and Harrow Central Mosque (a purpose-built space next to the terraced house that previously housed the Pakistani community). The exhibition includes 3D scans, filmed interviews, photographs, and 1:1 reconstructions of mosque sections, creating an immersive experience that explores themes of compromise, mimesis, resilience, and adaptation. The growing Muslim population in England (around 3 million, 5% of the population) is pressuring communities to self-fund expansions or new builds. The pavilion is carpeted like a real mosque and responds to the Biennale's overarching question about future coexistence.