antarctic pavilion explores native customs at venice biennale

antarctic pavilion explores native customs at venice biennale
photo by igor boury
all images courtesy of the antarctic pavilion

at venice’s 14th international architecture exhibition, the antarctic region is represented for the first time with a pavilion that explores present and future models of life within the polar region. commissioned by alexander ponomarev and curated by nadim samman, the exhibition brings together a host of renowned architects and artists in order to build bridges between disciplines and institutions.

the exhibition brings together a host of renowned architects and artists
photo by igor boury

the installation presents different collaborations that mediate between the south polar scientific community and the international architecture profession. one particular project highlighted as part of the display is the britsh antarctic station ‘halley VI’ by hugh broughton. the mobile hub is composed of blue units that contain the bedrooms, labs, offices and energy plants, all linked to ‘module A’ the red heart of the scheme which provides the social program in a double height space.

the installation presents collaborations that mediate between the scientific and architectural community
photo by igor boury

‘in my work in antarctica I have always cherished the collaboration between nations as people strive to help each other to live and survive in the most extreme environment on earth. this same spirit pervades the antarctic pavilion, which choreographs an international architectural and artistic response to a remote continent of global significance,’ explained broughton.

installation view of the pavilion on venice’s grand canal
photo by igor boury

the installation, which runs between june 7th and november 23rd, 2014, offers speculative positions with exhibits including a poetic chess pavilion from alexander brodsky and a snowflake shaped greenhouse from alexey kozyr, in addition to a replica model of ‘halley VI’. the featured projects are directed towards pasts, presents and futures whose relevance and power transcend geography and propose an expanded antarctic typology.

the selected works elevate the region’s community, identifying antarctica a cultural space
photo by igor boury

the selected works elevate the region’s community, identifying antarctica a cultural destination that looks beyond national-scientific missions. the pavilion is a long-term project, initially focused on alerting the architectural profession to its disregard for what is built in the south polar region, but in time finding solutions that will redefine antarctic architecture. the exhibition is part of a wider scheme, serving as a platform prefacing an antarctic biennale to be held in 2015 aboard international research vessels.

exhibits include a snowflake shaped greenhouse by alexey kozyr
photo courtesy of alexy kozyr

curator nadim samman explains the concepts behind pavilion in more detail below:

‘almost without exception, antarctic stations are designed by engineers with minimal aesthetic regard for living conditions. how does their pseudo-architecture circumscribe man’s relationship with the continent? more importantly—what are the alternatives? the projects featured in the antarctic pavilion are directed towards other pasts, presents and futures whose relevance and power transcend south polar geography. they propose an expanded antarctic imaginary.’

solar panels and windmills surround the scheme
photo courtesy of alexy kozyr

‘architecture constitutes an important field of interface between idea and application. though a functional enterprise it can encapsulate and impart values, condition behavior and inform subjectivity. the prevailing dearth of antarctic architectural thought is an abrogation of the continent’s utopian potential. in order to rehabilitate it we must entertain notions of living there that go beyond institutional missions and national claims.’

the britsh antarctic station ‘halley VI’ by hugh broughton
photo © james morris

‘the antarctic pavilion is a long-term project, initially focused on alerting the architectural profession to its disregard for what is built in the south polar region. in time, our program may impact upon the design of real stations. the pavilion’s problematic position vis a vis the biennale’s nationally over-determined structure is also a provocation: a quasi-institutional claim to represent a transnational sphere, out of line with the festival’s politics of territorial representation. more importantly, it points to antarctica as a giardini of sorts, in which the sovereignty-obsessed cultural ambitions relevant two centuries ago still seem to hold sway – for the worse.’

the mobile hub is composed of blue units that contain the bedrooms, labs, offices and energy plants
photo © BAS

‘despite all the kilometers of ground untrodden by human foot, mountains unnamed and creatures unknown, antarctica is a cultural space. the projects featured in this pavilion are testaments to the antarctic community that would yet know itself – and the continent – in ways transcending national-scientific missions. among enthusiasts and unbuilt schemes dwells the promise of a new antarctic man.’

‘module A’ is the red heart of the scheme which provides the social program in a double-height space
photo © james morris

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antarctopia

location: the fondaco marcello, grand canal, venice
commissioner: alexander ponomarev
curator: nadim samman
featuring: yuri avvakumov, alexander brodsky, marcel dinahet, yury grigoryan, zaha hadid/studio hadid vienna, hugh broughton architects, juergen mayer h., alexey kozyr, totan kuzembaev, mariele neudecker, alex schweder, sergei skuratov architects, veech media architecture (VMA), elizaveta vintova, and alexander zelikin
exhibition architect: alexey kozyr
graphic designer: alëna ivanova-johanson
exhibition manager: katja scholz
organizer: oceanic fund projects (paris)
general partner: AVC charity foundation
special thanks: british antarctic survey (UK); scott polar research institute, cambridge university (UK); and universita ca’ foscari, venice (italy)