Anoushka Rodda and Pali Palavathanan, co-founders of Templo, have worked on the British Pavilion’s visual identity for the past three editions of the Venice Architecture and Arts Biennales, so they know exactly what it takes to bring culture to the forefront. This year’s, titled Geology Of Britannic Repair, Kenya’s pastoral scenes are brought to the pavilion and Templo reflect the topology and geology of the Rift Valley, to explore themes of “geology, extractive processes, colonialism, tectonic and geopolitical fragmentation, and the role the non-extractive architecture can play in social and environmental repair,” says Anoushka.
The design system is both geometric and organic, highlighting the natural order of the natural world, ripe for graphic representation. But, it was important for Templo to avoid cliche. The team employed Kenya’s colours, alongside their logo typeface to ensure thematic connection. The typeface has a sharp Lithic quality and sit raised, it matching the topographical relief of the valley, before turning into organic waves and earthy grounding. Templo’s animation work takes on characters of tectonic motion, and the cycles of rift and repair. “The concept of architecture as earth practice was as fundamental to the visual identity as it is to the commissions within the pavilion,” says Pali.