Venice, Biennale Architettura 2023
LABORATORY OF THE FUTURE
The 18th International Architecture Exhibition, titled The Laboratory of the Future, was curated by Lesley Lokko and organised by La Biennale di Venezia.
What does it mean to be an 'agent of change'? Lesley Lokko, reflecting on nine months of discussions through various mediums such as conversations, text messages, Zoom calls, and meetings, poses a crucial question about the justification of large-scale exhibitions in terms of carbon footprint and cost. Lokko emphasizes that an architecture exhibition is not merely a static presentation but a dynamic process, borrowing its structure from art exhibitions while maintaining critical distinctions often overlooked.
In Lokko's evolving perspective, an architecture exhibition is both a moment and a process, intertwining questions of production, resources, and representation. The Laboratory of the Future, in particular, was conceived with the essential gesture of 'change' in mind from the outset.
For the first time, attention has been drawn to Africa and the African Diaspora, a culturally diverse and interconnected community of people of African descent spanning the globe. The exhibition prompts questions about the impact of the narratives shared, their potential for change, and their interaction with the perspectives of others. Lokko underscores the importance of presenting not a singular story but multiple stories, reflecting the intricate kaleidoscope of ideas, contexts, aspirations, and meanings inherent in every voice responding to contemporary issues.
Lokko challenges the notion that culture is solely the sum of stories we tell ourselves, pointing out the absence of acknowledgment regarding the identity of the 'we' in question. In the realm of architecture, she highlights the historically dominant and exclusive voice that has often ignored significant portions of humanity—financially, creatively, conceptually. This singular narrative has resulted in an incomplete 'story' of architecture, prompting Lokko to emphasize the significance of exhibitions in rectifying this imbalance.
