The Swedish exhibition, “The Forests of Venice,” has been selected as a Collateral Event for the 2016 Venice Biennale. Initiated by Kjellander + Sjöberg and Folkhem; and curated by Jan Åman, the exhibit highlights wood as a sustainable material, while looking at "the interaction between nature and the man-made human habitat in order to respond to climate change and limited resources."
The exhibit examines Venice’s success as a hybrid between city and nature. As a geographically exposed coastal city, Venice demonstrates a unique symbiosis with nature. In a time when climate change and rising sea levels threaten coastal cities worldwide, the strategies of Venice – a city built on the foundations of ten million trees – are a key resource for solutions.
“The Forests of Venice” will be sited between the Venice Biennale’s two main exhibition venues - Giardini and Arsenale – in a greenhouse built in 1894. Exhibits will be located inside, and Kjellander + Sjöberg is creating an installation in solid timber in the adjacent garden.
Some of Sweden’s most prominent architectural practices have come together to examine Venice’s relationship between the urban and the natural. The seven selected practices are: Architects without Borders Sweden; Arrhov Frick; DinellJohansson; Horn.Uggla; In Praise of Shadows; Carmen Izquierdo; and Urbio, as well as the installation by Kjellander + Sjöberg.
