Being in a bien­na­le - In­ter­vi­sta #14 a Mo­moyo Kai­ji­ma & Lau­rent Stal­der

Architectural Ethnography - Japanese Pavilion at the 16th International Architecture Exhibition – Venice Biennale 2018, Giardini.

Commissioner: The Japan Foundation
Curator: Momoyo Kaijima with Laurent Stalder and Yu Iseki

Twentieth-century modernisation deeply transformed Japanese society, bringing on the one hand economic wealth and social wellbeing, and introducing on the other, increasing specialisation and divisions in society. In recent years, this transformation has been increasingly questioned, finding expression in a series of architectural projects. In this reappraisal, architectural drawings – the traditional tool to conceptualise, organise, and build space – have played a particular role. Besides being simply instructions for coming buildings, they are an ideal instrument to document, discuss, and evaluate architecture. As in ethnography, they allow usages, needs and aspirations to be investigated through the lens of the various actors – both human and non-human. They also form the basis on which a common approach in the design of individualised yet shared environments in today’s globalised society can be formulated. To this end, the exhibition proposes ‘architectural ethnography’ as a new methodology of social engagement.

[Biennale di Venezia 2018]