- Laila Bin Brik: The UAE is participating for the fifth year in the exhibition
The UAE National Pavilion at the 18th edition of the Venice International Architecture Biennale sheds light on the country’s heritage in art and architecture, and enhances communication with artists and researchers interested in the country. The exhibition continues until November 26, 2023.
Laila Ben Brik, Director of the National Pavilion, spoke about the pavilion’s achievements and exhibits before the opening of the global event, highlighting the country’s belief in the importance of cooperation and sharing ideas between different countries.
She said, “The UAE is participating for the fifth year in the International Architecture Exhibition, and for the twelfth year in the Venice Biennale.” Noting that the Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation supervises the national pavilion with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Youth, while research efforts were supported by a research team composed of graduates of the American University of Sharjah, including photography and video clips that were newly assigned to the photographer. And the artist, Reem Falaknaz.
The Venice Biennale Foundation was established in 1895, and today it has become one of the most important cultural institutions in the world, and the UAE participated for the first time in the exhibition in 2009.
Bin Brik explained that the country’s national pavilion signed an agreement in 2013 with the Venice Biennale Foundation, according to which it participates in the art and architecture activities held by the foundation. The national pavilion won its first award, the Golden Lion Award for the best national participation.
The country’s national pavilion seeks to promote dialogue between architects, planners and industry experts, by promoting the country’s architectural history.
In 2014, the exhibition “Lest We Forget: Structures of Memory in the United Arab Emirates” sponsored by Dr. Michael Bampling witnessed the first participation in the International Architecture Exhibition, and this exhibition presented the basic results of archiving the history of architectural and urban development in the UAE during the past century.
The UAE’s participation in the exhibition focused on an era from the seventies to the eighties of the last century, as it shed light on how public and residential architecture developed in the country, and participation contributed to presenting Emirati culture by displaying the special memories of those who lived through Emirati culture and heritage, and inviting young generations to share the memories of their ancestors. through contemporary arts.
In 2016, the Emirati pavilion participated under the slogan “Transformations: The Emirati National Home” by presenting the Emirati National Role Model, and the exhibition was supervised by Dr. Yasser Al-Shishtawi.
The 2018 exhibition, curated by Dr. Khaled Al-Awadi, showcased architecture and social life in four urban areas in the UAE.
In 2020, the exhibition was not held due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and was postponed to 2021. However, this session gained special importance for the United Arab Emirates, as it won the Golden Lion Award for the best participation in the seventeenth session of the exhibition.
The “Wetlands” exhibition, curated by architects Wael Al Awar and Kenichi Teramoto, presented a large-scale prototype inspired by the UAE World Heritage nominated sabkhas “salt flats”, which were created from innovative and environmentally friendly cement from recycled industrial waste brine, Which may reduce the impact of climate in the construction industry.
The coordinators collaborated with specialized teams in the Amber Lab at NYU Abu Dhabi, the Department of Biology, Chemistry and Environmental Sciences at the American University of Sharjah, Obuchi Lab, and Sato Lab at the University of Tokyo to develop the chemical formula for cement and use advanced digital engineering technology to formulate a workable structure inspired by the concept of “vernacular” architecture. Futurism ».
The exhibition was also chosen by the jury for being “a bold experiment that encourages reflection on the relationship between waste and production at the local and global levels, and provides innovative building possibilities between crafts and advanced technology.” (wam)
