The main part of the exhibition is located in the former Venetian shipyard Arsenale. The exhibition is divided into the three basic sections mentioned above.
In the very first hall that the visitor enters, the curator has placed a number of air conditioning units above large lagoons of water, around which one walks in the dark space. The air conditioners heat the entire hall considerably, and the water evaporates. Together this creates a stuffy and heavy environment. Ratti wants to evoke a sense of discomfort as a prefigurement of the future state we are heading for – an environment to which we will have to adapt.
In the other rooms, the visitor is guided through the individual topics. Natural Intelligence focuses on projects based on nature, biological systems and climate adaptation. This is followed by Artificial Intelligence, a section dedicated to technology, artificial intelligence, algorithms and robotics. One of the most interesting projects explores the relationship between craft and robot: a large wooden beam is split in two. One is decorated by a craftsman using traditional Bhutanese techniques, while the other is worked by a robot controlled by artificial intelligence that tries to imitate human craft. The experiment shows how AI can help preserve craft traditions, but it also raises the question of whether the resulting robotic superficiality can be a true continuation of tradition. Collective Intelligence is then devoted to collective, social and interdisciplinary approaches, linking humans, technology and nature.
The main part of the Arsenal is connected to smaller projects and pavilions. One of these, by Norman Foster, is a pier evoking the canals of Venice, exploring new modes of mobility. Bicycles are placed on the floats, symbolizing alternative urban movement. I think if there were pedal boats on which you could give someone else a ride, it would make even more sense.
The second part of the Biennale takes place in the Giardini in Venice, where the countries present themselves in their national pavilions. The Czechoslovak one is, as is tradition, closed. The other exhibitions are difficult to describe – each country treats the main theme in its own way and it is often difficult for the visitor to combine the individual presentations into a coherent picture.
Every biennial tries to answer the question of how to exhibit architecture today. This year’s succeeds a little better than the last one, which was full of AI-generated visions of flat future worlds presented on large-scale prints and projections. This year it’s more “back to the roots” with computers instead of hammers and trowels. There is a clear effort to exhibit at least parts of architecture that can be transferred as art objects, fragments, prototypes or spatial models.
If this biennial was meant to show something of the future we are heading towards, then I am actually happy with the results. The future looks more like a hippie world than a place full of endless mirror cities in deserts or inhabited artificial islands. If you’re still considering a visit, I wouldn’t hesitate. Venice will remind you of late summer in autumn and will draw you into its labyrinthine world of good drink, food and architecture.
