Temporary Installation: The Latest Architecture and News

Architects Belinda Tato and Jose Luis Vallejo of Ecosistema Urbano have designed a plug-in public space designed to address the effects of climate change in ill-equipped urban environments. Titled Polinature, the installation has been funded by the Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability at Harvard, and is now installed in the backyard of the Harvard Center for Green Buildings and Cities. The pavilion, featuring native plans set into a scaffolding, with an inflatable bioclimatic canopy, aims to demonstrate how small-scale interventions can create compound positive effects for the local micro-climate and biodiversity.

+ 14

Known for its unconventional art installations and striking desert setting, the Burning Man festival has concluded this year with an array of temporary installations spread across the Black Rock Desert in Nevada. The festival's 2024 theme, "Curiouser & Curiouser," inspired by Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, encouraged participants to embrace wonder and whimsy.

At Burning Man, a tapestry of themes emerges through diverse installations, from reflections on connectivity and isolation to explorations of time and space. Installations like Nebula Shroom Grove and the Temple of Together emphasize community and unity, inviting interaction and participation. Pieces like "I'm Fine" and Tree Circle delve into universal emotions and humanity's connection to the infinite, while works like Matter Out of Time and The End of Time play with perceptions of time and reality.

+ 36

The fourth edition of the Bruges Triennial: Spaces of Possibility, curated by Shendy Gardin and Sevie Tsampalla, will be held from Saturday 13 April to Sunday 1 September 2024. This event promises to transform the streets and historic center of Bruges, Belgium, into a showcase of contemporary art and architectural interventions. With a focus on exploring the latent potential of this UNESCO World Heritage Site, the festival raises questions about how concepts like change and sustainability can interact with preservation.

The 12 selected artists and architects have been prompted to challenge the existing spaces within Bruges. Among the invited names are Boonserm Premthada’s Bangkok Project Studio, Mona Hatoum, Studio Ossidiana, and Sumayya Vally, founder of Counterspace and curator of the first Islamic Arts Biennale, among others. Until September 1^st, they are presenting temporary interventions and large-scale installations that seek to reveal the hidden potential of the city, echoing the festival's theme. Against the backdrop of Bruges' rich history, this edition of the Bruges Triennial underscores the importance of adaptable urban spaces in today's ever-evolving world.

+ 10

As Milan Design Week begins, the Italian city is transformed into the grounds of one of the most expansive celebrations of global design, with its streets and venues brimming with cultural events, exhibitions, large-scale installations, talks and conferences. At Rho Fiera, the 62nd edition of the Salone del Mobile.Milano brings together designers, architects, producers and leading figures of the design world, featuring over 1950 exhibitors which will remain open for the next 6 days. Additionally, across the city Fuorisalone opens up locations across the city with an engaging and varied cultural program.

+ 2

Happening between November 7 and 12, Dubai Design Week 2023 brought together over 500 designers, architects, and creative practitioners to explore the relationship between traditional practices and emerging technologies in an effort to create more environmental sustainability and design-led social impact solutions. As one of the most important cultural events in the Middle East, the festival brings forward a wide offering of installations, artworks, and immersive experiences, all exploring important topics of eco-friendly design.

This year’s interventions and installations drew inspiration from the region’s natural ecosystems as well as local traditions and craftsmanship while merging these practices with innovative technologies, biomaterial explorations, and reimagined ways of practicing. Across the interventions, a recurring motif emerges, that of celebrating Middle Eastern heritage and engaging productively with vernacular practices.

+ 43

Alsar Atelier, led by Alejandro Saldarriaga, is an architecture and design studio based in Boston and Bogotá. Their practice focuses on the planning and creation of public facilities with an emphasis on social benefit, as well as small-scale residential projects. The studio employs a design approach that prioritizes the use of sustainable materials, cost-effective strategies, and active community collaboration.

For these reasons, Alsar Atelier was selected by ArchDaily as one of the best new architecture practices of 2023. Below, we bring you an interview with Alejandro Saldarriaga to get a closer look at his inspirations, working processes, and future projects.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Mark Fromson (@autobiographica)

Burning Man, the annual festival taking place in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, has opened on August 27th, with thousands of festivalgoers gathering to create the Black Rock City, a ‘temporary metropolis’ complete with numerous installations, artworks, and pavilions that celebrate “community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance.” This year, however, the festival experience has been different, as heavy rains inundated the desert and festival site, creating thick, ankle-deep mud. The roads to and from the festival have been closed as large vehicles risk remaining stuck in the mud. While some people have left the site by walking out, the majority of the 70,000 campers remain stranded, as reported by CNN.

Architecture design firm Buchan was selected to lead the design for the Australian Pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan. Under the theme "Chasing the Sun," the installation will encapsulate Australia's connection to the land and the Cosmos, displaying its rich culture and diverse arts scene. From 13 April 2025 to 13 October 2025, more than 150 countries will participate in a single location, anticipating 28 million visitors from across the globe.

Videos

Staged stories on community and identity, ephemeral architecture showed that in 2022 it doesn't have to be permanent to be powerful. A direct and popped-up public installation can shift from preparation to action, reclaiming and defining what makes a community unique. Highlighting installations to acknowledge linguistic diversity in NYC, a giant table to celebrate culinary in Barcelona, and a large-scale net in Dubai to represent the local culture, among others, these initiatives seek to understand ways in which local and regional expressions can help cities to be more equal and diverse.

Globalization has connected the world boundaryless. While it has also made information more accessible, it has led to homogeneity and identity crisis at melding unique societies and cultural expressions. Cultural differences are undeniable as globalization grows. Hence, as architecture produces common living standards, it can also highlight singularities. Festivals, installations, and pavilions, 2022 was the year to express local memories to be recognized and celebrated, setting Community and identity as central topics in ephemeral architecture throughout the year.

+ 27