VENICE, ITALY
Nunavummiut understand there are unique challenges and stumbling blocks when it comes to building in the Arctic. In 2014, the rest of the architectural world will have a chance to experience these creative challenges for themselves.
The Canadian Pavilion in Venice, Italy, is the venue for the Venice Biennial in Architecture 2014. The pavilion will be outfitted with an exhibition titled Arctic Adaptations, which will feature speculative building designs for different areas of Nunavut. - photo courtesy of Canada Council for the Arts |
Arctic Adaptations is the theme of the Canadian exhibition at the 2014 Venice Biennial in Architecture, an event held every two years in the Italian city during which organizations collaborate with architectural and design firms to tackle various conceptual challenges. At the upcoming event, the Canadian component is exploring ways to build Arctic structures.
The exhibition is to be hosted by the Canada Council for the Arts in partnership with the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC). This is the first time that a exhibit from Canada's North will be entered into the Venice Biennial, said Brigitte Desrochers, the arts program officer in architecture for the Canada Council. Canada enters an exhibit every year and is one of 30 nations to have a permanent pavilion for the Biennial in Venice.
Lola Sheppard, one of the curators of the exhibit who works out of Toronto-based architecture and design firm Lateral Office, said more and more information is becoming available in the architectural world about building in the far North.
"People are really caring about the traditional architecture and people are becoming ambitious," she said.
"The North's architecture has been out of the spotlight for a long time. Hopefully this will help put architectural quality and livability back in the picture for people of the North."
Arctic Adaptations will feature five teams, each consisting of members representing an architecture school, a firm that has experience working in the North and a Nunavut organization. The participants will work together to conceptualize designs for buildings in Nunavut based on different themes. Sheppard said the goal of the Venice Biennial is not to actually build these structures.
"Venice provides a forum to speak speculatively and think outside the box while still responding concretely to problems," she said.
The themes are health, represented by Qaujigiartiit Health Research Centre in Iqaluit; education, with Ilisaqsivik in Clyde River; Qaggiavuut in Iqaluit for arts; Nunavut Housing Corporation for housing; and Sport Nunavut in Baker Lake for recreation.
"Qaggiavuut is a society for a performing arts centre so they can help answer the questions of what do they need in the way of an arts centre, or what do they need to respond to the arts in Nunavut," said Sascha Hastings, a spokesperson with RAIC.
Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory, executive director for Qaggiavuut, said she is looking forward to it.
"Definitely, the discussions of what the architectural needs of Nunavut are and how we can gear that towards a performing arts centre will be a big help," she said.
Qaggiavuut is to be teamed up with the Iqaluit office of Stantec and Dalhousie University in Halifax.
Bathory said they will most likely start on the project this month.
"There will be a few key people from Qaggiavuut involved but the consultations will happen with the whole board," she said.
The teams will display scale models, blueprints, conceptual drawings and other media to depict their designs during the Venice Biennial in Architecture, which is more than five months long, starting on June 7 and closing on Nov. 23, 2014.
