The Mostra internazionale di architettura di Venezia has been one of the highlights in the cultural calendar of the Italian city since 1980, attracting architecture experts and connoisseurs every two years.
Alternating annually with the Biennale Arte – the major international art exhibition – the architectural showpiece will take centre stage once again this year.
The 19th edition, which takes place from 10 May to 23 November, is curated by Carlo Ratti, who works as a lecturer at several prestigious institutions including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Politecnico di Milano.
66 countries represented
A total of 66 nations are represented at this year’s Mostra, with new exhibitors including Azerbaijan, Oman, Qatar and Togo.
Some of the exhibiting countries have moved into a residence in the city, but most of the architectural projects can be found in the historic pavilions of the Giardini della Biennale and the Arsenale.
Luxembourg’s pavilion is also housed in the Arsenale, the building complex of the former shipyard. More precisely, on the first floor of the Sale d’Armi.
The complex extends over two buildings, the core of which dates back to 1460 and – as the name suggests – was once used as an armoury for the Republic of Venice and also for representative purposes.
Where nature and man meet: the sound elements for the installation in the Luxembourg Pavilion were collected from various locations in the Grand Duchy © Photo credit: Valentin Bansac
The projects from the Grand Duchy, which has been a regular participant in the Biennale exhibitions since 1988, have been on display at the Sale d’Armi since 2018 – and will continue to be until at least 2038.
The last time Luxembourg won the Golden Lion for the best pavilion at the art biennale was back in 2003, thanks to the artist Su-Mei Tse.
The Luxembourg contribution
The Luxembourg project, Sonic Investigations, invites visitors to perceive architecture with their ears rather than their eyes.
Sounds, instead of visual impressions, are intended to make physical spaces tangible.
“In today’s image-saturated society, seeing seems to overshadow the other senses. However, these are crucial for fully grasping the invisible dynamics that characterise our sensitive relationship with the territories,” explain the three curators, French-Canadian Alice Loumeau, Frenchman Valentin Bansac and Luxembourger Mike Fritsch.
“As a counterpoint to the hegemony of images, listening becomes a political act that opens up new possibilities for exploring the built and natural environments in order to shift our attention and give voice to the more than human,” they said.
In the installation of sounds captured at various locations in Luxembourg, biological sounds meet man-made sounds, the primal meets the unnatural. “The pavilion offers an immersive space to give a voice to the invisible,” is how the trio describe their work.
The concept
The sound piece at the centre of the exhibition concept was developed in collaboration with the German sound artist Ludwig Berger.
His works can be categorised between audio pieces and installations, depending on their form.
However, they do not simply depict sounds, but repeatedly raise questions, such as the sound artwork in the Luxembourg pavilion, which depicts infrastructural development as well as progress in the areas of agriculture and energy production, thereby questioning previous ways of understanding.
Artist Ludwig Berger at work, testing sounds collected for the project © Photo credit: Valentin Bansac
The sound installation, which offers visitors an all-round experience, is complemented by an exhibition that not only deals with the theory, but also provides an insight into the creation process.
The third component of Sonic Investigations is Ecotones: Investigating Sounds and Territories, a book produced in collaboration with the French philosopher and musicologist Peter Szendy, which contains specialist articles as well as fictional texts and poetry.
Highlights
Visitors to the Biennale can look forward to a number of programme highlights.
In addition to an off-site sound performance by Ludwig Berger, the programme includes a performance by sound artist Gaia Ginevra Giorgi and an audio walk in the lagoon led by architect and artist Nicola Di Croce, which in turn creates a link between the Luxembourg pavilion and the Italian sound scene.
The official opening of the pavilion will take place on Thursday 8 May.
The pavilion will be open daily from 10 May to 28 September – although it will be closed on most Mondays – from 11:00 to 20:00, and from 29 September to 23 November from 10:00 to 18:00.
(This article was originally published by the Luxemburger Wort. Translation, editing and adaptation by John Monaghan.)