USI Academy at La Biennale di Venezia

The 16th International Architecture Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia will open on Saturday, May 26. Established in 1895, La Biennale is currently one of the most known and prestigious cultural organisations in the world. It stands at the forefront of research and promotion of new contemporary art trends and organises exhibitions and research in all its specific departments: Arts, Architecture, Cinema, Dance, Music, and Theatre. Biennale Architettura welcomes 600,000 visitors from over 60 countries and it is a benchmark for both experts and architecture lovers. The 16th Architecture Exhibition is curated by Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara, Full Professors of Design at USI Academy of Architecture.

This year’s leitmotif is Freespace and is thus motivated by the curators: « We believe that everyone has the right to benefit from architecture. The role of architecture is to give shelter to our bodies and to lift our spirits. A beautiful wall forming a street edge gives pleasure to the passer-by, even if they never go inside. So too does a glimpse into a courtyard through an archway; or a place to lean against in the shade or a recess which offers protection from the wind and rain. We are interested in going beyond the visual, emphasizing the role of architecture in the choreography of daily life».

13 Professors from USI Academy will also actively take part in the event: Manuel Aires Mateus, Walter Angonese, Michele Arnaboldi, Valentin Bearth, Riccardo Blumer, Martin Boesch, Frédéric Bonnet, Mario Botta, Francis Diébédo Kéré, Quintus Miller, João Nunes, Valerio Olgiati, and Jonathan Sergison.

A special area in the exhibition called The Practice of Teaching will welcome our Professors as evidence of the quality of the Academy’s teachings. (http://www.labiennale.org/en/architecture/2018/practice-teaching). It is a section dedicated to the relationship between architectural design and teaching, which the curators point out as "an essential component for ensuring the continuity of tradition", in which "the world of building and construction merges with the world of imagination".

For more information: 
Two professors at the Accademia appointed curators of Biennale Architettura 2018: https://www.usi.ch/en/feeds/3613
Biennale website: www.labiennale.org/it/architettura/2018
USI Academy of Architecture website: http://www.arc.usi.ch/it