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Venice has 'captured' the heart, mind and imagination of so many writers, poets, artists and historians. Venice is one of my favourite subjects in art, literature and history, and I am always eager to learn more and look more at this unique and special place. This Venice blog is my way of collecting the wealth of images, poems, prose and impressions of Venice.

Wednesday, 8 January 2014

Anticipating the new Australian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale

In my previous post, I wrote that In 2011, the Australia Council announced its intention to replace Australia’s temporary pavilion (built in 1988 by renowned architect Philip Cox) at the Venice Biennale with a new, permanent structure to be inaugurated at the 2015 Venice Biennale, when Fiona Hall AO will be our featured artist.



In April 2012, the Australia Council announced that a design concept by Australian firm Denton Corker Marshall (DCM) had been chosen from a shortlist of six Australian firms for the new Australian Pavilion. 



Australia is the first country to re-develop its site in the Biennale Gardens.

This is an ambitious project, costing around $6 million dollars, and it is being funded by the Australian Government with substantial support from Australian philanthropists. 
As much as I feel sentimental about our dear old pavilion (see my previous post on the subject), I am excited by DCM’s winning concept.  Other DCM buildings include the Museum of Sydney, Melbourne Museum, and the new Stonehenge Visitor Centre in the UK as well the Australian embassies in Tokyo and Beijing. 
DCM’s plan is for a building made of South Australian granite, with a back of house ground level accessible from the canal alongside the Australian site. with a gallery space on the top level, cantilevered over the canal.  A six-metre high white box will sit within the black box with polished concrete floor and reception space.
This is how the entry to the Australian Pavilion looked in October 2013:
Australian Pavilion, Venice Biennale 2013
And a shot of DCM's new Pavilion concept (from the Australia Council for the Arts website):
And here is a side view of the current Australian Pavilion, seen from the bridge leading to the Venezia Pavilion:
Australian Pavilion, Venice Biennale 2013
And how the new Pavilion will appear (from the Australia Council for the Arts website):
 
I'm very much looking forward to meeting the new Australian Pavilion at the 2015 Venice Biennale.
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3 comments:

  1. Steven Varni, aka Sig. Nonloso11 January 2014 at 04:37

    Wow, very interesting! That's a pretty dramatic change to the view one will have from the canal--and even, it seems, from the primary bridge leading to Sant' Elena! I wonder how soon construction will start.

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  2. Anonymous12 January 2014 at 01:27

    Good on ya, Aussies. I guess a trip during the 2015 Biennale is on the cards.

    Yvonne

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  3. Capturing Venice/Capturing Paris 12 January 2014 at 23:12

    Sig. Nonloso: I'm guessing that construction would start as soon as possible - it's a tight deadline before the 2015 Venice Biennale. Australia's contribution to the 2014 Architecture Biennale will be presented in the absence of a Pavilion. That's on my blog post list of writing to do!

    Yvonne: yep, good on the Aussies! Almost as good as our recent cricket scores :)

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