This post is a little late in coming, but I was so inspired by The Venice Biennale, I felt it necessary to share my thoughts. The Venice Biennale 2012, directed by London born architect, David Chipperfield ran throughout the summer and the cooler months of winter. Whilst there was a lot of talent and interesting projects presented, I have to say that the best one in my eyes was the Polish pavilion. The Biennale boasted participants the world over, including Russia, Scandinavia, Canada and America. The difference between the most engaging shows and the lesser so, depended on how interactive they were, for the public to feel a sense of involvement and significance. The Russian pavilion for example held a dome of QR codes, and iPads were handed out for the viewers to scamper off to discover the images hiding beneath the glowing technology.
This was quite a complex exhibition compared to the Polish one, which I think is why the latter was so engaging and memorable. Walking into the cold structure, grey with a concrete mass, you think that nothing is there; it is an empty space, until you stood still and listened. The project by Katarzyna Krakowiak, explored the production of sound within a structure, by collaborating with the surrounding pavilions to echo the sounds made by the people, and the environment, to create a listening space. It was a mesmerising environment to be in, once you realised what you were listening to. I stayed quite a while with my ear pressed up against the cool brick wall listening to the vibrations and the underlying humdrum. So what looked like an empty space was in fact something very significant and thought provoking.
For more information and for imagery of the Polish Pavilion click HERE.
Leave a Reply