Deutsche Welle (English edition)
Architecture Biennale to be held despite COVID
The international architecture exhibition in the Italian city of Venice defies expectations by taking place as a physical event in May.
The Venice Biennale of Architecture is one of world's leading events in the field and one of the most important festivals of its kind.
But the major event has been postponed twice already due to the coronavirus pandemic: from last spring to the fall, and then again in the fall to this spring.
It is now slated to run from May 22 to November 21, 2021, and is supposed to be a "physical event," organizers say. Nevertheless, it's a gamble, Biennale President Roberto Cicutto admitted during an online presentation of the event on Monday.
Architecture theorist and head curator Hashim Sarkis had already developed the theme of
the 17th edition of the exhibition — "How will we live together?" — long before the pandemic. The original aim was to focus on climate change, migration and increasing political polarization with regard to architecture.
Living together in a pandemic world
But with the world struggling with the COVID pandemic this past year, the Venice Bien
nale of Architecture will integrate a new aspect to the program, Sarkis explained during the online presentation.
With additional offerings during the show, he intends to illuminate the social role of architecture. Along with the usual exhibitions in the national pavilions, the program will also include publications, films and symposia on topics such as sports, the refugee crisis or reconstruction. The Biennale may even "expand to include the field of dance," Sarkis said.
Biennale visitors can also get a glimpse behind the scenes of the event, as well as virtually tour the lagoon city, Sarkis noted.
Curators for the German pavilion believe they are well-prepared for the pandemic situation, particularly with films that can viewed virtually. The actual site of the country's pavilion in the "Giardini," a park area, will remain mostly empty this year, curator Olaf Grawert announced.
Instead, he and his "Team 2038" — a group of architects, artists and scientists, including Grawert, Arno Brandlhuber, Nikolaus Hirsch and Christopher Roth — have developed an unusual idea: a fictional look back from the future — from the year 2038 to today. "Despite, or even thanks to, the major crises
of the 2020s and 30s," the concept states, ″a change in thinking and action took place that just barely saved us."
Back from the future
Grawert and his fellow campaigners had no idea that a global crisis would occur so soon when they presented their concept in Berlin in February 2020. But the exhibition is not intended to revolve entirely around the coronavirus pandemic. Rather, the team draws on the big ques
tions of the day, including the land property issue, which is central for architects: "Because without land," Grawert recently told German public broadcaster
Eric (Marco Pigossi) is an environmental police officer in Rio de Janeiro. When his wife (Julia Konrad) dies under mysterious conditions, he starts his own investigation of the events. In the meantime, another strange episode takes place: A pink river dolphin — typically found in the Amazon — appears at one of the city's beaches. As the cop skeptically begins to follow the clues surrounding his wife's murder, a world of mystical creatures is uncovered, and everything seems to be connected.
This is the initial plot of the Netflix series Invisible City, available on the streaming platform throughout the world.
Are the supernatural entities real? Without revealing any spoilers, one thing is certain: The characters featured in the show have been around for centuries in Brazil. They make up an important part of the country's folklore. The myths are, in fact, known by nearly everyone in the country. The stories are part of school curricula, books, television and even animated car
Deutschlandfunk, "people can't build."
Several lockdowns have hampered installations efforts on the Lido, the barrier island in the Venetian Lagoon, where the main show is to spread across
toons. Now, they are available to an even wider audience — earning enthusiastic reactions.
The series — which combines elements of drama, fantasy, mystery thriller and police investigation — premiered in February 2021 and, since then, was featured for at least one day among the platform's top 10 most watched content in more than 40 countries. The success has resulted in the confirmation of a second season.
The show was created by Carlos Saldanha. A two-time Oscar nominee for his animated films, Saldanha is the director of the Ice Ageand Riofranchises, as well as Ferdinand. Invisible City is his first live-action project.
The idea came from his desire to combine "elements of Brazilian culture with an adult, police the central Biennale pavilion and the sprawling halls of the Arsenale.
Curator Sarkis has invited some 110 participants from 46 countries to contribute to the exhibition, many of them from
thriller production," he told DW. While he was developing ideas, shows such as American Gods, Grimmand Vikings were receiving a lot of attention. "I thought: 'Why didn't we ever think of doing something like this with Brazil?' We have so many mythological elements that are interesting and visually unique," he recalls.
He then decided to dive into the project, which was filmed throughout 2019. For Saldanha, talking about Brazil "creates a feeling of pride, of wanting to show my culture (…) these stories are so rich and so cool, we can't let them die," he said.
One of the biggest challenges the creative team faced was to introduce the folklore characters to an international audience who — in most cases — had never
Africa, Latin America and Asia. In addition to sites in the Giardini park, the "Biennale Architettura 2021" events will take place at other stations in the lagoon city. Furthermore, 63 different national pavilions will offer up heard of them before, unlike for example Greek mythological gods such as Zeus or Aphrodite.
The creators of Invisible City wanted portray these folkloric creatures in a way that would allow anyone watching the series to get to know them, without however getting lost in details, since the show only relies on seven episodes of about 35 minutes each, and, as Saldanha points out, "It could get dull if it were too explanatory."
"It was a risk that we took, and I think it worked; people were curious," adds the director.
Myths related to protection of nature
Brazilian folklore is very diverse and has its roots in a mix of indigenous, African and European elements. The myths were historically passed on from generation to generation, mostly through oral tradition, and their interpretation may vary from region to region. Most of the legends are related to nature and its protection.
The characters in Invisible Cityare presented in a modern way and live in a marginalized urban setting. They also have different names than the actual mythical creatures, as they try to keep their identities a secret to navigate the human world.
Some of the classic myths which are part of the show their own presentations, with Azerbaijan, Grenada, Iraq and Uzbekistan presenting their own show in Venice for the first time.
This article was translated from German.
include, for example, Saci, a Black one-legged boy who wears a magical cap that allows the prankster to disappear into a whirlwind whenever he wishes. There are also Iara, the "mother of the waters," who is a mermaid; Curupira, a creature who lives in the forests and has its feet turned backwards to confuse hunters; and Cuca, a witch who terrifies kids across Brazil.
By introducing these cultural elements to the world, Invisible City also contributes to diversifying the fantasy genre. "I think the show brought freshness to the themes of mythology and fantasy," points out Saldanha.
And, as in all lasting myths, the Brazilian folk stories also transmit universal ideas. "In the end, we are all similar," says the show's creator. "Everyone has the same feelings; what changes is the way you tell stories."
matters during that time. Parliament convenes on Monday to pay tribute to the duke, after which some local campaigning will resume from Tuesday onwards.
How can the public pay their respects?
Original plans for the days leading up to the funeral and the ceremony itself have had to be dramatically scaled back due to COVID restrictions. Members of the public have been asked not to gather at royal residences, nor to leave floral tributes — but rather have been asked to make donations to charities close to the duke's heart. Nevertheless, people have continued to place flowers, cards and tributes outside Buckingham Palace and
Windsor Castle. The public can also post their personal tributes on an online condolence book.