In the relatively compact island state of Singapore, space comes at a premium. Not only is this small country a desirable centre for business and commerce in the region and beyond, making its already limited land expensive and highly coveted, but it is also a bustling hub of architectural creativity – which is exactly what the Singapore Pavilion at the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale is exploring.
Looking at the different ways Singapore-based architects, urban planners and place-makers find imaginative solutions and ways to create exciting architecture despite the island's lack of free space, the installation is aptly entitled ‘No More Free Space?’. The piece celebrates innovation and pioneering solutions that promote amazing space – indoors and out – and projects that highlight the local designers’ and architects’ ingenuity.
The exhibition tells its story through 12 case studies – all projects that deal with issues of space and resourcefulness, ‘while borrowing natural resources such as light, air, greenery and water’, explain the organisers.
The site specific, multi-sensory installation is made of a transparent cloud of handcrafted acrylic knots that hovers suspended from above, creating an immersive canopy. Lights, sounds and images of Singapore and life on the island surround this centrepiece, sending the visitor through a journey of discovery.
The pavilion, presented at the Arsenale’s Sale d’Armi, has been commissioned by the DesignSingapore Council (Dsg) of the Ministry of Communications and Information, and the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), and curated by the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) in collaboration with the National University of Singapore’s Department of Architecture (NUS).
The presentation will be restaged in Singapore in 2019 engaging the public about Singapore’s challenges and amazing opportunities when it comes to built space.§
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The installation is made of a transparent cloud of handcrafted acrylic knots that hovers suspended from above
Lights, sounds and images of Singapore and life on the island surround this centrepiece
The site specific, multi-sensory piece sends the visitor through a journey of discovery
The presentation will be restaged in Singapore in 2019
INFORMATION
For more information visit the Singapore Pavilion's website
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