Inspired by the great potential of advanced information technology providing architectural solutions, the Russian pavilion of the 2012 Venice Biennale will feature the innovation city of Skolkovo. Skolkovo is one of the largest, most innovative Russian projects of today and has been worked on by many international architects, including Biennale director David Chipperfield. The exhibition will allow visitors to enter into the world of innovation city and use the newest IT-technologies to contribute to the research. Over the Biennale’s three month period, participants will be able to watch the exhibit’s virtual city of Skolkovo evolve as each international visitor leaves their mark.
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The two floors of the Russian pavilion, built almost 100 years ago by the project of A.B.Shusev, will divide the exhibition in half. The first floor will display a history of soviet science cities, while the second floor feature the innovation city, Skolkovo itself. The difference between the “science city” and the “innovation city” will be made clear, as science cities were known to be “closed and isolated” as opposed to the Skolkovo project, which has been based on a collective nature of holding competitions and openly integrating it’s research within the world context.
This contrast between past and future research cities will bee highlighted throughout the exhibition. Thirty winners of the residential quarters competition’s first round will be presented, with detailed information on the top ten finalists.
Grigory Revzin, commissioner of the pavilion, stated: “Skolkovo is a high-tech project, it’s all about innovation, about new level of living, about how science and modern technologies come into human’s life.That is why our exposition is exceptional one this year. We have created a space that is physical and virtual at the same time.”
General planners of Skolkovo, architects Sergei Tchoban and Sergey Kuznetsov of SPEECH Tchoban & Kuznetsov have been asked to curate the event. They have intimate knowledge of the innovation city and past Biennale experience, as they helped with the 2010 Russian pavilion “Russia Factory”.
Photos of the exhibition will not be released until after its opening ceremony on August 27th.
