Lithuania's Swamp Pavilion at Venice Architecture Biennale

The Lithuanian Pavilion at the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale, titled 'The Swamp Pavilion,' redefines national representation by focusing on the swamp as a metaphor for contemporary design. Curated by artists Nomeda and Gediminas Urbonas, the pavilion integrates science, art, architecture, pedagogy, and biology. It challenges fixed geographic categories and explores ecosystems through a decolonized lens, connecting Venice's lagoon with global precarity. Over 200 intellectuals—including architects, sound artists, botanists, and scientists—participated in workshops, sound experiments, and explorations of Venetian wetlands. The Swamp School featured three sessions: Swamp Radio (May 23–27), Futurity Island (June 25–30), and Commonism (September 24–29). Collaborations included the Royal Academy of Antwerp, Princeton University, FHNW Basel, University of Fine Arts Hamburg, NABA Milan, and IUAV Venice. Installations include Olfactory Infrastructure, Sonic Void (a network of drainage pipes), and a sound archive by Francisco Lopez. Artists such as Jana Winderen, Erin Genia, Rasa Smite, Raitis Smits, Petteri Nisunen, and Tommi Grönlund contributed. The pavilion runs until November 25, 2018. The Urbonas are now working on a book, 'Swamps and the New Imagination.'