As part of our 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale coverage, we present the completed Finnish Pavilion. To read the initial proposal, refer to our previously published post, "Finnish Pavilion at the 2018 Venice Biennale to Examine the Future of Libraries."
Conceived by Commissioner Hanna Harris, Director of Archinfo Finland, and Curator Dr Anni Vartola, the Finnish Pavilion presents Mind-Building at the 2018 Venice Biennale, an exhibition that explores the importance of the public library in Finnish culture. With exhibition design by Tuomas Siitonen and graphic design by Johannes Nieminen, it showcases Finnish libraries through a thematic selection of architectural designs, objects and specially commissioned sound and video work.
With showcased examples from the Rikhardinkatu public library of 1881 to the upcoming Helsinki Central Library, the exhibition documents the historical and cultural significance of the library as a space for all. It also considers the potential of the library in the 21st century to become a "popular monument," what the curators describe as a "noncommercial, public space which is open for everyone, free for everyone, belonging to everyone and used for everyone’s benefit.”
