Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara, the founders of the award-winning Grafton bureau, interpret the theme they have chosen for the Biennale - “Freespace” - very broadly. In the manifesto, they describe it as related to "the generosity of spirit and a sense of humanity at the heart of architecture's missions," "focusing on architecture's ability to give free … spatial gifts to those who use it, on its ability to accommodate the unspoken desires of strangers." Curators see “free space” as an opportunity to emphasize light, shadow, material, air movement, gravity, as well as create a place “without a program,” a democratic territory of opportunity. They talk about a new view of the world, time and memory, cultural layers, and at the same time about the original role of architecture - to give shelter to a person, and the associated right of everyone - to benefit from it; like Paolo Baratta, director of the La Biennale di Venezia foundation, they emphasize the importance of the social role of architecture.
At the Biennale, judging by the manifesto, Farrell and McNamara will try to show not the exhibits "about architecture", but the architecture itself (which many people tried to do in Venice with varying success): the exhibition will have "a spatial, physical embodiment of scale and quality, … conveying complex spatial nature of architecture”.
The 16th Architecture Biennale will open in Venice on May 26, 2018 (vernissage is scheduled for May 24 and 25) and will end on November 25.
