UPM WISA Plywood is pleased to support the British Council at the 17th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, scheduled to open to the public from August 29 to November 29, 2020.
The exhibition has been postponed to combat the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19). La Biennale di Venezia is scheduled to open to the public from 22 May – 21 November 2021.
UPM's WISA plywood will be on show as part of one of the world's most prestigious architecture exhibitions in Italy this year. It will be incorporated in the British Pavilion at La Biennale di Venezia from August to November in The Garden of Privatised Delights - exploring the rapid rise of privately-owned public space in the UK.
UPM WISA-Spruce Special and WISA-SpruceFR will form structural elements in five immersive rooms designed to question how public spaces can be made more inclusive.
Curated by Manijeh Verghese and Madeleine Kessler, the exhibition will offer visitors an interactive experience of architecture, rather than a traditional presentation of models and drawings.
Full details are being kept firmly under wraps until the opening in late summer and UPM Plywood is looking forward very much to being involved in such a prestigious event.
Joan Bailey, UPM Sales Manager, UK & Ireland comments:
"We are proud of our collaboration with the British Council at the world-renowned Biennale Architettura 2020. With the growing focus on the use of wood products in design, WISA Plywood has an increasing important role in architecture. Not only as a healthy building material, but also - combined with excellent environmental and sustainable credentials – so it can be appreciated by architects and the public, alike, especially in a world affected by climate change. The creation of The Garden of Privatised Delights brings it to life as an interactive exhibition for visitors to see, touch and appreciate the difference plywood can make."
The British Council has been commissioning the British Pavilion in Venice since 1937, showcasing the best of the UK's artists, architects, designers and curators. These exhibitions, and the Venice Fellowships initiative introduced in 2016, help make the British Pavilion a platform for discussion about contemporary art and architecture. Verghese and Kessler, co-founders of Unscene Architecture, were chosen from a shortlist of nine proposals in 2019.
This year's British Pavilion will highlight urgent issues including the demise of the high street, use of facial recognition technology and the decline in dedicated social spaces for teenagers. Inspired by Dutch artist Hieronymus Bosch's The Garden of Earthly Delights, the exhibition explores the rapid rise of privately-owned public space and offers an alternative vision urging both the private and public sectors to work together to create better-designed spaces for all.
There are six areas considered within the exhibition, especially how they are currently designed and used. These are the local pub, facial recognition, the high street, common land, spaces for teenagers and exclusive garden squares. Curators Verghese and Kessler comment:
"We are delighted to be working with an amazing team of design collaborators to explore different types of privatised public space in The Garden of Privatised Delights. We hope to initiate conversations around how the private and public sectors can work together to provide the public spaces that are missing in cities, and to make them accessible to all. By expanding the definition of what privatised public space can be, as well as widening the debate around who can access, own, design and use these areas, we hope to inspire more welcoming and beneficial public spaces for everyone to enjoy."
For more information on the British Pavilion please visit: