Out of office: what the Wallpaper* editors have been up to this week

The Biennale begins

Ellie Stathaki, Architecture and Environment Director

The Venice Architecture Biennale is one of the most highly-anticipated events in the global calendar in the field, and a true celebration party of architecture. Being here for the inauguration is the biggest treat. I will spend the next three days on the ground exploring and speaking to people and taking the pulse of where it’s all at. Taking in the sheer volume of the exhibitions is a mammoth task but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

A footwear foray

Tianna Williams, Staff Writer

I took a speedy trip to Venice for the latest iteration of ‘Haus’, the creative platform of footwear brand Golden Goose. Italian-Canadian director Marco Brambilla presented an otherworldly installation that explores memory, fantasy and desire, and the grand reveal, titled ‘Heaven’s Gate’, was a five minute video collage. Accompanied by booming audio, it’s hard not to physically feel the artwork as it echoes around the hangar space. You can read the full review here.

A surprise at the F1

Anna Solomon, Digital Staff Writer

Last weekend (2-4 May) was F1 weekend in Miami, and my first Grand Prix. I was part of a group brought along to see Lego’s impressive display of ten fully-drivable cars, each made of 400,000 bricks, which the drivers took for a spin during the pre-race lap. I then watched McClaren’s Oscar Piastri storm to victory (in a real F1 car), which was quite the experience. As the vehicles streak past at 233 mph, they appear as little more than blurs of colour, and you suddenly understand why the drivers have to have freakishly strong neck muscles to deal with the G-force unleashed upon them.

A powerful performance

Gabriel Annouka, Senior Designer

This week I was back at my beloved Rio Cinema for the preview of Goodnight Ladies, the new film by Alex Matraxia starring the incomparable David Hoyle. Still one of the most vital figures in queer performance and political rage, Hoyle joined the filmmaker for a post-screening Q&A, every line delivered with brutal, humorous clarity. When asked what advice he had for young artists, he simply said: ‘Remember, we live in a fascist dystopian era’. Honestly, what else is there to say?

A sunny sojourn

Charlotte Gunn, Director of Digital Content

The long weekend was spent in Malta for some much-needed sunshine. It was my first time visiting, so I checked off a lot of the hits. Highlights included strolling through the ‘silent city’ of Mdina's narrow streets, taking a gondola ride to see the Three Cities, and a lazy seafood lunch in the fishing village of Marsaxlokk.

More Biennale madness

Jonathan Bell, Transport and Technology Editor

I'm back at the familiar and frequently overwhelming world of the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia. Always a pleasure, even if the sensory assault can be a bit much at times. This is the elegant Chiostro di San Antonio, part of the Archivio di Stato di Venezia, and location of the British Council's hot ticket of a party (before the guests arrived). Sponsored by The Dalmore Scotch Whisky (who also supplied the cocktails), there was also a vivid performance from poet and musician Joshua Idehen.