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- 2016 Biennale: British pavilion
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The curators were chosen following an open call organised by the British Council and they invited emerging artists, architects and designers to produce immersive 1:1 environments that propose new models for the home. Five different rooms, designed around five incremental amounts of time they are used.
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I curatori, scelti dal British Council dopo un concorso, hanno a loro volta invitato architetti, designer e artisti emergenti a produrre degli ambienti in scala 1:1 che rispondono, appunto, alle nuove esigenze della società britannica. Sono nate così 5 ambientazioni divise in funzione dei periodi di tempo di utilizzo da parte delle persone.
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The exhibition begins with “HOURS – Own nothing, share everything”, a kind of shared, community room, with daybeds arranged in different configurations to tailor the space for work, rest and play.
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This is followed by “DAYS – Home is where the Wi-Fi is”. What more can you say about this definition? The digital portability of today's living space is symbolised here by two inflatable spheres where you can experience a familiar home away from home.
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The third environment - “MONTHS – A house without housework” - proposes the perfect balance between privacy and sharing with a small, two-storey “totem” containing private spaces for sleeping, washing and cooking.
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“YEARS – Space for living, not speculation” is a shell construction leaving only a roof, water, electricity, WC and basin - the parody of houses as they are proposed by greedy mortgage lenders to make the highest profit.
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“DECADES – A room without functions” is defined by spatial conditions rather than functions - areas rather than specific rooms - with the flexibility to accommodate constantly changing needs.
Visitors are invited to cheerfully enjoy the future of the home, a very important front to explore as a profound mark of our routine lives.
Christiane Bürklein
British Pavilion
at the15th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia from 28 May to 27 November 2016
Location: Giardini della Biennale, Venezia
Images: Courtesy of British Council
Find out more: http://design.britishcouncil.org/blog/2016/feb/23/home-economics-british-pavilion