a web of black pipes explores human resistance to technology at venice biennale

the latvian pavilion at venice architecture biennale explores human resistance to technology with an installation called ‘it’s not for you! it’s for the building’. curated by NRJA, the exhibition invites visitors into an archetypal house surrounded by a web of black plastic tubes, which seems sinister at first but then comes alive with friendly winking lights. the interactive installation located in the arsenale focuses on the contradictory relationship between people and technology in the context of architecture and it hopes to help people learn to live together with today’s intelligent machines.

image by alessandro zorzetto

NRJA puts forward the idea that although advanced technologies can be used to find solutions for global issues such as climate change, they can be viewed as unnecessary and confusing, resulting in resistance from inhabitants to adopt these technologies into their homes. with this in mind, and the overarching theme of the biennale posed by hashim sarkis, NRJA’s installation tries to answer the question ‘how to live together with the machine?’

image by alessandro zorzetto

to answer this question, the architects installed a house-shaped structure engulfed by a web of black pipes that invites visitors to change their perspective and discover an amusing neighbor in a seemingly threatening intruder. the pipes react to human presence with lights while visitors’ footsteps are artificially amplified with a familiar creak of wooden floorboards. the project intends to demonstrate that people are still at the center of architecture in the 21st century and that meaningful interaction between human beings and technology is possible.

image by ēriks božis

‘it’s not for you! it’s for the building’ is accompanied by a short film made by ēriks božis and marta elīna martinsone and a book designed by alexey murashko and illustrated by ivars veinbergs. the book confronts two opposing viewpoints on the role of technology in our everyday lives — satirical portrayals of absurd situations involving systems and equipment in the built environment, on one hand, and the reasoned arguments of technology experts seeking to fix the problem on the other.

short film by ēriks božis and marta elīna martinsone

due to the venice architecture biennale being postponed for one year, NRJA erected an inverted form of the exhibition in riga, latvia, before coming to italy. called ‘connections interrupted’, the work played on the social distance brought forth by the coronavirus pandemic and the technologies attempting to solve it. 

image by ēriks božis

‘the lost social links are replaced by digital signals. forced by necessity, society has adapted and embraced new technologies at an unprecedented pace. when change is rapid, people recognize that the situation is serious and can adapt accordingly. unfortunately, the changes that are now bringing more and more technology to architecture are gradual, almost imperceptible. will humanity be able to adapt to the machine when faced with global climate change? does the ambivalent nature of technology mark a new paradigm in the history of architecture? are we really entering an era of posthuman architecture, where user comfort will be subordinate to sustainability requirements?’ questions NRJA.

image by ēriks božis

with this mediation at venice biennale 2021, the team at NRJA wants to emphasize their belief that architecture is and will be humane as long as it is inhabited by humans. the architects conclude, ‘technology will remain an integral part of human life, and man will continue to be a creator of artificial solutions because that’s what we’ve always been. it is crucial for contemporary architecture that humans learn to live together with the machine and, in a common struggle against the ecological crisis, ensure that any solution that is ‘for the building’ is ultimately ‘for you’.’

image by ēriks božis

image by ēriks božis

the ‘connections interrupted’ installation in riga

image by ēriks božis

the ‘connections interrupted’ installation in riga

image by ēriks božis

the ‘connections interrupted’ installation in riga

image by ēriks božis

the ‘it’s not for you! it’s for the building’ book

image by alexey murashko

the ‘it’s not for you! it’s for the building’ book

image by alexey murashko

project info:

name: it’s not for you! it’s for the building

location: arsenale, venice

event: 17th international architecture exhibition – la biennale di venezia

commissioned by: jānis dripe

curators: NRJA (no rules just architecture)

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: lynne myers | designboom