Bruges Triennial 2018: floating pavilions and a concrete gateway to the afterlife
In a city famed for its postcard-ready vistas and perfectly preserved historic architecture and waterways, the Bruges Triennial is a welcome burst of contemporary creativity and unexpected urban interventions. As you walk past a medieval almshouse or over a cobbled stone bridge you will suddenly see a tall curving Corten steel sculpture (by US artist John Powers), a narrow geometric bridge (by Polish artist Jarosław Kozakiewicz) or a sinuous organic bright orange and red translucent floating pavilion (that will become the platform for a public pool) by Spanish architectural duo SelgasCano.
For the Triennial’s second edition, the theme ‘Liquid City’ is based on a concept by Polish-British sociologist and philosopher Zygmunt Bauman, who theorised globalisation and mass consumerism indicated a state of constant flux, fluidity, instability and transition. Though this could be construed negatively, he also believed humans were infinitely adaptable and flexible. To wit, the 15 invited artists and architects have responded to the Triennial’s theme in vastly different ways, ranging from the literal – almost every installation or sculpture is located on or near the city’s canals – to the more abstract or metaphorical, challenging the viewer to embrace a transformation, or even to become part of the creative process.
The latter is very much the case in German architecture firm Raumlabor’s House of Time project that is slowly transforming an old industrial site in town with the help of young people who have so far built a treehouse, a hot tub, an outdoor garden and various spaces for learning and collective problem-solving. The Triennial’s co-curator Till-Holger Borchert talks about the Triennial as an opportunity to create ‘a more sustainable form of tourism’ for the Flemish town of Bruges and become a magnet for ‘creative thinkers and doers’. In a small city regularly engulfed by seven million annual visitors on whistle-stop European tours this is a welcome proposition.
Arguably the most interesting exhibit of the Triennial was not an installation or structure but a research piece on show in the renovated 14th-century Poortersloge (Burghers’ Lodge). Here, Brussels-based design collective Rotor’s contribution focused entirely on the Chinese mitten crab. With the help of videos, newspaper excerpts, photos, ship models and even live crabs, the architects explore how the crab arrived in Europe in the early 20th century via the ballast water of ships from China, its proliferation in European waters (including the canals of Bruges) and how it is viewed today.
‘In one part of the world it’s a delicacy, in other parts of the world it’s a pest,’ says Rotor founding partner Lionel Devliege. The arrival of new and invasive species in foreign locales is examined and perhaps most timely is a section of the show dedicated to the xenophobia and fear of Asia that has been projected on to this crustacean through the decades.
INFORMATION
Bruges Triennial 2018 runs from 5 May – 16 September. For more information, visit the website
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Giovanna Dunmall is a freelance journalist based in London and West Wales who writes about architecture, culture, travel and design for international publications including The National, Wallpaper*, Azure, Detail, Damn, Conde Nast Traveller, AD India, Interior Design, Design Anthology and others. She also does editing, translation and copy writing work for architecture practices, design brands and cultural organisations.
-
The moments fashion met art at the 60th Venice Biennale
The best fashion moments at the 2024 Venice Biennale, with happenings from Dior, Golden Goose, Balenciaga, Burberry and more
By Jack Moss Published
-
Crispin at Studio Voltaire, in Clapham, is a feast for all the senses
New restaurant Crispin at Studio Voltaire is the latest opening from the brains behind Bistro Freddie and Bar Crispin, with interiors by Jermaine Gallagher
By Billie Brand Published
-
Vivienne Westwood’s personal wardrobe goes up for sale in landmark Christie’s auction
The proceeds of ’Vivienne Westwood: The Personal Collection’, running this June, will go to the charitable causes she championed during her lifetime
By Jack Moss Published
-
Peter Blake’s sculptures spark joy at Waddington Custot in London
‘Peter Blake: Sculpture and Other Matters’, at London's Waddington Custot, spans six decades of the artist's career
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Oozing, squidgy, erupting forms come alive at Hayward Gallery
‘When Forms Come Alive: Sixty Years of Restless Sculpture’ at Hayward Gallery, London, is a group show full of twists and turns
By Hannah Silver Published
-
New glass sculpture creates a verdant wonderland at Apple’s Cupertino HQ
‘Mirage’ at Apple Park is the work of Zeller & Moye and artist Katie Paterson, a shimmering array of glass columns that snakes through the grounds of the company’s monumental HQ
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Man Ray’s sculptures go on show in New York
‘Man Ray: Other Objects’ opens at Luxembourg + Co, New York, revealing their author’s ‘artistic revolution’
By Hannah Silver Published
-
The best London art exhibitions to see now
Your guide to the best London art exhibitions, as chosen by the Wallpaper* arts desk
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Erwin Wurm’s pop-coloured fantasy land at Yorkshire Sculpture Park
In Erwin Wurm’s first UK museum show, ‘Trap of the Truth’, the artist transforms Yorkshire Sculpture Park into a slightly warped wonderland (10 June 2023 – 28 April 2024)
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith Published
-
Sculptor Arnaldo Pomodoro transforms Fendi’s Rome HQ into a theatre of myth and magic
Fendi’s Roman HQ sets the scene for ‘Il Grande Teatro delle Civiltà’ a major show by Italian sculptor Arnaldo Pomodoro, who has also created a one-off edition of the house’s iconic Peekaboo bag. Read more in the July 2023 Issue of Wallpaper*, on newsstands 8 June
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith Published
-
Superflex on building an underwater city for fish: ‘there are different rules down there’
Danish art collective Superflex discuss their ambitious Super Reef, an underwater urbanisation project aiming to restore more than 55 square kilometres of stone reef in Danish seas
By Alice Godwin Published