In the exteriors of the Arsenale we found Radix, the installation designed by Portuguese office Aires Mateus (Francisco and Manuel Aires Mateus), an elegant contemporary response to the architectural setting of the Biennale.
The installation recognises the nearby docks of the Arsenale designed by Jacopo Sansovino between 1568 and 1573, which is flanked by arched walkways that inspire this structure. Radix is an arch supported on three points with the fourth corner hanging over the water, turning the otherwise massive steel structure into a lightweight balanced volume.
More pictures after the break.
“Conceptually, the structure combines historical awareness and sensitivity with modern technology: Radix suggest an approach that promotes continuity instead of seeking novelty. It suggest that researching and proposing are acts of cultural recombination, which allow dialogue and reflection to meet. In the field of architecture, memory identifies shapes, spaces, materials, scents, touch, light, and sounds.”
“This process of identification is both elective and affective, allowing for a critical understanding of a common heritage. With this installation, Aires Mateus is concerned with an evocative dimension of reality. More than a singular concept or a unique moment, the architects evoke a sense of a common heritage through the use of forms and spaces that constitute an idea of collective value.”
