Titled "To Gather: the Architecture of Relationships", the Singapore pavilion at the 17th International Architecture Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia, displays different ways the Singaporeans share public spaces. Curated by the National University of Singapore (NUS), the pavilion will be on display from May 22nd to November 21st, 2021.
To answer the question of 'How Will We Live Together", the National University of Singapore will introduce to foreign visitors the unique Singaporean style of living and gathering by looking at different spatial typologies across the country. The pavilion also looks at the country's diverse urban context and different structural scales, and how they contribute to the public's social life.
As we leverage architecture and urban design to address new global challenges, it is important to continue supporting and facilitating community participation in the design of public spaces. Collectively, public spaces have a significant impact on our quality of life, helping us to form connections, share memories, values, and a sense of place in which we call home. -- Yap Lay Bee, Singapore Pavilion Co-Commissioner and URA Group Director
The exhibition is inspired by the spatial typology of local hawker centers, and will include 16 architecture, art, and design projects, presented on 16 round tables across the pavilion. Four universal themes will cover the projects: Communing Relationships, Framing Relationships, Uncovering Relationships, and Imagining Relationships. The displayed projects will present the works of architects, designers, municipalities, nonprofit organizations, and citizens, and how they imagine an improved built environment, especially after the restrictions of COVID-19 this past year.
As a city-state which has experienced rapid urbanization since its independence, Singapore has over time forged our own style of high density living, and places of community gathering in our parks, hawker centers, void decks, and sky gardens. The pandemic and its restrictions on global travel have brought everyone closer together, with a deeper appreciation for our families and communities. -- Mark Wee, Pavilion Co-Commissioner and Executive Director of Dsg
To Gather: the Architecture of Relationships
- Commissioner: Urban Redevelopment Authority, Design Singapore Council
- Co-Commissioner: Yap Lay Bee, Mark Wee
- Organizer: National University of Singapore
- Curators: Professor Ho Puay-peng, Dr. Simone Shu-Yeng Chung, Thomas K. Kong, Tomohisa Miyauchi, and Sarah Mineko Ichioka
- Supported by: Singapore University of Technology and Design, Singapore Institute of Architects
