Italy Pavilion at 2021 Venice Architecture Biennale Explores Exaptation and Resilience
Curated by Alessandro Melis, the Italy Pavilion at the 17th Venice Architecture Biennale emphasizes the concept of 'exaptation,' derived from the work of Stephen Jay Gould and Elizabeth Vrba. The exhibition spans fourteen thematic sections, blending architecture with various fields. A notable feature is Laboratorio Peccioli in Peccioli, overseen by Nico Panizzi, Ilaria Fruzzetti, and Laura Luperi, which showcases public art financed by waste management. Additionally, it presents a social robotics initiative aimed at assisting the elderly and a housing development in Mbankomo, Cameroon. Remarkably, 80% of drywall from Milovan Farronato's 2019 installation has been reused, and materials include a 3D-printed iceberg crafted from recycled ocean plastic in the 'Decolonizing the built environment' section.
Key facts
- Curated by Alessandro Melis (Heliopolis 21)
- Theme: exaptation, a concept from Gould and Vrba
- Transdisciplinary approach: architecture, botany, agronomy, biology, art, medicine, social sciences, technology, history
- 14 thematic sections based on a decalogue
- Laboratorio Peccioli project: waste management funding public art by multiple artists
- World's first social robotics experiment in Peccioli
- TAMassociati and Arup housing project for 10,000 units in Mbankomo, Cameroon
- Pavilion installation reuses 80% of 2019 structure, recycles 20%
- Installations include Spandrel seed bank inspired by Alien's Xenomorph tail
- Iceberg installation 3D-printed from recycled ocean plastic by Niccolò Casas for Parley for the Oceans
Entities
Artists
- Alessandro Melis
- Milovan Farronato
- Nico Panizzi
- Ilaria Fruzzetti
- Laura Luperi
- Nakagawa
- Massimo Bartolini
- Umberto Cavenago
- Alberto Garuti
- Federico de Leonardis
- Vedovamazzei
- Vittorio Corsini
- Fortuyn/O'Brien
- Vittorio Messina
- Patrick Tuttofuoco
- Niccolò Casas
- Stephen Jay Gould
- Elizabeth Vrba
- Christopher Alexander
- Kevin Lynch
Institutions
- Heliopolis 21
- Biennale di Venezia
- Laboratorio Peccioli
- TAMassociati
- Arup
- RebelArchitette
- Parley for the Oceans
- Artribune
Locations
- Venice
- Italy
- Peccioli
- Mbankomo
- Yaoundé
- Cameroon