Belgian pavilion at Biennale Architettura 2021
Press release
Model landscape shows unique city-architecture relationship in Flanders and Brussels
This summer, Venice will host the Biennale Architettura 2021, the world’s most important exhibition in the field of contemporary architecture. On the initiative of the Flemish Community and commissioned by the Flanders Architecture Institute (VAi), Bovenbouw Architectuur will present the exhibition Composite Presence in the Belgian pavilion. By means of 50 reference projects, curator Dirk Somers (Bovenbouw Architectuur) shows the contemporary city in Flanders and Brussels in all its complexity: ‘Composite Presence embodies the love-hate relationship between architecture and city.’
Exhibition | 22.05.2021 – 21.11.2021 | Belgian, pavilion, Giardini, Venice (IT)
Composite Presence
How can the city and architecture flourish together? This question is at the centre of the three-dimensional layout of a fictional yet recognizable Flemish urban environment. In the course of time, the informal city in Flanders and Brussels developed a unique relationship with its architecture. The staged urban landscape reveals how historical layers, morphological specificities and unforeseen clashes are an endless source of inspiration for contemporary architecture. For the Belgian pavilion, Bovenbouw Architectuur has designed a scenography that shows an urban landscape consisting of a series of models on a scale of 1:15. The models are laid out at table height and represent a linear, winding landscape of a typical Flemish urban environment.
"The model landscape is a unique illustration of the energetic friction between urban planning and architecture in Flanders"‐ Dirk Somers, curator Composite Presence
Fifty projects compose the model landscape
Fifty different architecture projects of the past twenty years by forty five offices form the building blocks of this imaginary landscape. The selection shows a balanced architectural ecology in which different styles, functions and typologies come together. Many of the projects consist of refurbishments and adaptations that feature a spectrum of forms, times and textures. Whether the projects are modest repurposings or shiny new constructions, they all contribute to a cobbled-together yet balanced city. The selected projects also testify to the importance of the current policy in terms of urban planning and tendering. Many of the designs in this urban composition find their source in procedures set up by city architects, the Flemish Government Architect and related public institutions in Flanders and Brussels with the purpose of creating a high-quality urban environment. Together with the Team Flemish Government Architect, the city architects of Antwerp and Ghent have lent their assistance to the Composite Presence project.
Discover the 50 projects"Dealing in a respectful and inventive manner with the city’s historical layers leads automatically to different perspectives on society. In that sense, Composite Presence draws on the core of the discipline of architecture to answer the question posed by curator Hashim Sarkis: how will we live together?"‐ Sofie De Caigny, Flanders Architecture Institute, commissioner of Composite Presence
Dirk Somers about Composite Presence
Bovenbouw Architectuur
Bovenbouw Architectuur is a young Belgian office, based in Antwerp. Dirk Somers, professor, manager and head designer leads a team of 18 talented European architects. Bovenbouw’s work is characterized by an open minded and untimely approach to design, fully freed from the compulsive desire for avant-gardist action or preconditioned design. Bovenbouw explore a versatile and open design attitude that tries to reinvent a vocabulary specific to every situation. Their endeavour can be understood in a true classical sense, bringing together old and new ideas in an interesting blend of the everyday and the everlasting.
Book
On the occasion of the Composite Presence project a catalogue is being published. Next to additional information on the exhibition and the fifty projects involved, the book delves into the aspect of architectural policy through contributions by, among others, Leo Van Broeck (former Flemish Government Architect), Christian Rapp (Antwerp City Architect), Kristiaan Borret (Brussels Government Architect), Edith Wouters (artistic director Ar-tur) and Peter Vanden Abeele (Ghent City Architect).
more about the book
Composite Presence
producer & commissioner Flanders Architecture Institute
curator and scenography Bovenbouw Architectuur
exhibition
Belgian pavilion, Venice
Sat 22 May 2021 → Sun 21 Nov 2021
info & tickets at biennale.org
press & preview days
Belgian pavilion, Venice
Thu 20 May 2021 & Fri 21 May 2021
request for an accreditation
book
€ 29,50 for sale at the webshop of vai.be
published in English by the Flanders Architecture Institute 2021
editors catalogue Sofie De Caigny, Maarten Van Den Driessche, Dirk Somers
vai.be
info@vai.be | #vlaamsarchitectuurinstituut | @vlaams_architectuurinstituut
biennale@vai.be | #compositepresence
on the initiative and with the support of
the Flemish Community
with the additional support of
the Flemish Government Architect, the City Architect of Antwerp and the City Architect of Ghent
cultural partner
Z33
main partners
Reynaers Aluminium | Delen Private Bank
partners:
Rockfon | Vectorworks | Kubus
supporting member:
Gavra ceramics and surfaces
member:
Sto, Knauf