Venice Architecture Biennale 2012 Intro

A brief introduction & some background to the Venice Biennale, with more photos and exhibition posts from Venice, to come next week. 

The Venice Architecture Biennale has its origins from a history of Biennales in Venice. The first art biennale was held in 1895, and in the 1930s, the film, music, and theatre biennales commenced. The first architecture biennale was held in 1980. 

Housing the Biennale:

There are numerous venues across Venice which host the Biennale, the two main venues being the Giradini and the Arsenale. 

 

The Giardini, established as the traditional Biennale venue since 1895, houses the 29 National Pavilions. Constructed by countries at various points in time, the pavilions themselves provide a snapshot and reading into the architecture and culture over the past century, with Aalto, Hoffmann, Rietveld, Scarpa and Stirling being among some of the architects of the pavilions. It also includes Australia's own pavilion, which was one of the last  available sites in the gardens, built in the 1980s and designed by Cox (soon to be rebuilt with a design by DCM... Click here to watch the fly-through)

The Arsenale has its origin in the City's naval and shipping history, dating from the 13th century. It provides a unique exhibition space as well as an insight into the architecture and structures that once housed its original function.

More information at the Venice Architecture Website