Open Call for Bahrain Pavilion at Venice Biennale

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Theme: Heatwave

In the past ten years across the globe, temperatures have broken records of heat consecutively bringing one heat wave after the other. The effects of these heatwaves have been felt particularly strongly in the Gulf region which was already known to hold extremely high temperatures in the summer months.

The people of Bahrain would traditionally move to the desert areas of the south during the winter months and back to coastal areas or closer to inland water sources during the hot summer months, this extended to various occupations as well, with agricultural workers, craftspeople, and traders frequently relocating to optimize their work throughout the seasons. This seasonal migratory pattern was common across the Gulf and in the absence of cooling and warming technologies, would enable communities to live seasonally in the most favorable local climatic conditions. This migratory pattern was also repeated at the scale of the house, where in the summer months people would sleep on the rooftops to profit from the coastal breezes the best.

It is estimated that beyond a wet-bulb temperature of 35°C, human life becomes hard to sustain* and heat-related mortality for people over 65 years of age has already increased by approximately 85% between 2000–2004 and 2017–2021.**

The challenges today in relation to climate change and global warming are many and need to be tackled simultaneously at the architectural and urban levels- from reimagining the insulating properties of construction materials to the way in which cities are conceived in relation to extreme heat. The urgency of the situation requires us to rethink the way we build in a radical way- and as the curator of the exhibition Carlo Ratti says “exploring a definition of “intelligence” as an ability to adapt to the environment with limited resources, knowledge, or power”, and perhaps locally revisiting ancestral models of transiency as methods of adaptation and flexibility in the face of extreme weather conditions.

We are seeking multi-disciplinary teams that will provide innovative, realistic and locally-rooted responses to these global challenges that will have extreme consequences locally and need to be addressed with the utmost urgency. As stated by Ratti, it is an invitation to address the common prompt of “One place, one solution”, “showcasing how local ingenuity can address our time’s existential challenge that can only be tackled in a cooperative manner, reflecting a multiplicity of approaches.”
*Source: The Journal of Applied Physiology, 2022, ** Source: World Health Organization

Read more on the official website.

GUIDELINES

• The open call is open internationally.
• Application must include at least one member who is a Bahraini national or based in Bahrain.
• In the case of collaborations, teams must not exceed five members.
• Teams can include members from various fields such as curators, architects, artists, historians, designers, theorists, scientists, critics, or related disciplines.
• Team members can be involved in different and specific tasks and areas of the project.
• Ambitious exhibition proposal that can be researched, studied and implemented within the available timeframe.
• Applicants must be available and committed to working on the project during the entire period leading up to the opening date.
• Applicants must complete the online application form. We recommend starting the application process early to allow sufficient time for shaping the proposal.
• Applications must designate one main contact person.

SELECTION COMMITTEE

• HE Sh. Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa (President, Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities)
• Noura Al Sayeh (Advisor for Heritage Projects, Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities)
• Camille Zakharia (Photographer – Manama, Bahrain)
• Matilde Cassani (Artist, architect and exhibition designer – Milan, Italy)
• Aziza Chaouni (Architect and professor of architecture – Fes, Morocco)

REFERENCES

• Curatorial proposal application deadline: Thursday, August 15, 2024
• The pavilion is located in Arsenale with an area of 270 sqm
• For any questions, please email: bahrainpavilion@culture.gov.bh

• Title

  Open Call for Bahrain Pavilion at Venice Biennale

• Type

  Call for Submissions

• Organizers

  Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities

• Registration Deadline

  August 15, 2024 11:59 PM

• Submission Deadline

  August 15, 2024 11:59 PM

• Venue

  Venice, Italy

• Price

  Free