In this interview, presented in collaboration with PLANE—SITE, the creative directors of the Australian Pavilion at the 2016 Venice Biennale discuss the motivation and execution of their design, "The Pool." In the short clip, Amelia Holliday, Isabelle Toland and Michelle Tabet provide insight into the cultural relevance of the pool within the Australian built environment and the emotional reactions they hoped to invoke in visitors. They explain the way these ideals are translated into the physical pavilion, which was intended to replicate "a place where people of different ages and backgrounds and abilities can all come together and be part of something."
Throughout all cultures water is symbol of survival; there's something very spiritual about water, all of humanity is very connected to water. Culturally, in terms of art and music and indigenous culture it's really, really strong [sic], and there's many layers of connection with the pool that we wanted to bring to light. - Isabelle Toland, Creative Director
We knew intuitively at the beginning of this process that the pool was this unique social space, a very Australian experience, but we also knew that there was something incredibly seductive about water. Like all good design, the pool itself draws you in immediately, and people have an immediate emotional connection to it. - Amelia Holliday, Creative Director
As a creative team, we were really intent on creating a singular but multi-sensory experience, so when you enter the space you will first see the reflections of the water, onto the walls, onto the volume of this new pavilion which is a fantastic opportunity for us [sic]. Then, you'll start hearing the music that we've had composed by a composer, and finally you will start hearing the different interviews that are overlaid onto that. All of this has been done through the prism of the pool which is the central element. It's very simple, but it engages all the senses. - Michelle Tabet, Creative Director
For more thoughts from the creative directors, check out the following article which they penned earlier this year.
The Pool: Inside Australia's Pavilion at the 2016 Venice Biennale
News via PLANE-SITE.
