Shrinking Cities at the International Architecture Biennial ///
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La Biennale di Venezia is one of the most prestigious cultural institutions in the world. Since its founding in 1895, it has had a pioneering role in spotting new artistic trends and currents in the most various artistic disciplines, including film, visual art, music, dance, theater, and architecture. The Biennial draws up to 320,000 visitors a year. The theme of this year's architecture exhibition in the context of the Biennial is "Meta-Cities - Cities: Architecture and Society".
The contribution of Shrinking Cities to the Biennial introduces the theme of urban shrinkage as a global phenomenon, showing its effects on the respective local situations, and, along with an exhibition newspaper, provides insight into possible options for action. Part of the exhibit will be a ca. 45-meter-long, 4-meter-high 360° photo by photographer Christoph Petras (Stadt im Bild) that gives the visitor a direct impression of a shrinking district in a city. The contribution will stand in sharp contrast to the images of overflowing growth in southern and eastern megapolises from Mexico City to Shanghai, the images that dominate discourse on urbanism. Animated cartographies will show the instability of urban structures and the close connection between processes of growth and shrinking. In the framework of the opening program, Shrinking Cities will guide visitors on a conceptual stroll to Venice's own shrinking sites. For Venice, too, despite its increasing success with the tourism industry, is affected by phenomena of shrinking and has lost 60 percent of its residents in the last 50 years.
Picture of the Shrinking Cities Room in Venice (Fotograf: Christoph Petras)
Download: Cities. Architecture and Society. Catalogue of the 10th International Architecture/ Venice Biennale. Venezia 2006, page 316-323.
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Pictures Wallpaper: stadtimbild/Christoph Petras, Berlin |