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Audience of Objects symposium (March 16, 2011)58:47

Eric Owen Moss moderates a discussion with participants in the 2010 Venice Architecture Biennale. After introducing Herwig Baumgartner, Hernan Diaz Alonso, Hsinming Fung, Craig Hodgetts, Georgina Huljich, Elena Manferdini, Alexis Rochas, Marcelo Spina, and Scott Uriu, Moss begins discussion by questioning the role of events like the Venice Biennale in today’s globally-connected media-saturated world. Craig Hodgetts compares the atmosphere of the Architecture Biennale to the open, mixed culture of SCI-Arc. On the other hand, he criticizes the 2010 exhibition as a whole for lack of intellectual content, which he blames on the changing role of the Biennale. Some panelists argue that the Biennale provides an opportunity for a range of architects to communicate with the public, while other panelists doubt how open it really is. The panelists argue that the Biennale, as well as other international art fairs like it, are becoming stagnant, codifying a limited range of aesthetics and techniques. The panelists review the contents of the 2010 Biennale, contrasting the work in the Arsenale exhibition and the work in the national pavilions. They discuss criticism as a means of assessing contemporary practice.

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