…and other such stories embraces a broad spectrum of perspectives on architecture to imagine space and the built environment anew
the chicago architecture biennial announced today that its 2019 edition, titled …and other such stories, will form an expansive and multi-faceted exploration of the field of architecture and the built environment globally. developed through a research-led approach, the biennial will address the potency of space, architecture, and the natural world as they relate to four areas of inquiry: (1) no land beyond, which draws inspiration from indigenous approaches to nature, ecology, and landscape that transcend property ownership; (2) appearances and erasures, which explores both shared and contested memories in consideration of monuments, memorials, and social histories; and (3) rights and reclamations and (4) common ground, which foreground aspects of rights, advocacy, and civic purpose in architectural practice, including affordable and equitable housing
the third edition of the biennial is particularly inspired by chicago, moving beyond the grand narratives of the city’s architectural heritage to explore the history and conditions that have and continue to shape its urban development. this approach has inspired a broader view on the field of architecture to embrace practices that span building, design, planning, visual art, policymaking, education, and activism. …and other such stories will create a program that addresses the four areas of inquiry from these varied frames of reference — together exploring the changing and challenging conditions of our societies and environments. emanating from the central exhibition at the chicago cultural center and extending into the city, the 2019 biennial will feature a series of new commissions, residencies, partner projects, and public programs.
the team is comprised of artistic director yesomi umolu, a contemporary art curator, and co-curators sepake angiama, a curator whose work centers on education, and paulo tavares, a brazil-based architect and academic.
above > vertical city
vertical city brings together 15 architects to revisit the 1922 chicago tribune tower competition that attracted 263 entries from the united states and around the world. the influence and reach of this particular project drove many responses and copies.
the most famous of these was an exhibition of late-entry drawings organzied in 1980 by the chicago seven, let vy stanley tigerman, that gathered a contemporaneious cross section of architectural ideas and influences. the chicago seven’s version of the competition was decidedly paper-oriented. the 2017 chicago architecture biennial eschews drawings and presents a scaled model, 16 feet hight. a most exciting sight and experience to walk among them.
[ 22 > 28 october calendar ]
the second edition of the chicago architecture biennial (cab) is the largest architecture and design exhibition in north america, showcasing the transformative global impact of creativity and innovation in these fields. this year’s biennial features over 141 practitioners from more than 20 countries addressing the 2017 theme “make new history.” artistic directors sharon johnston and mark lee have selected architects and artists whose eye-opening creations will invite the public to explore how the latest architecture can and will make new history in places around the world. the main exhibition is free and open to the public from september 16, 2017 through january 7, 2018. we are particularly proud to premiere our opening in 2017 in alignment with expo chicago.
above> prima materia | prima studio mumbai ( mumbai india )
studio mumbai brings architects into the making process with workshop team of over 100 crafts-people, artisans, and builders to what principal bijoy jain calls making a sound and getting a response. these projects involve testing material systems and assemblies resulting in singular objects and large scale mockups at 1:1 scale. this project titled prima materia (first materials) is two towers made of bamboo, tied together with cotton thread, and highlighted by gold leaf, reminiscent of structures carried in the tazia rituals in india.
[ 22 > 28 october calendar ]
the second edition of the chicago architecture biennial (cab) is the largest architecture and design exhibition in north america, showcasing the transformative global impact of creativity and innovation in these fields. this year’s biennial features over 141 practitioners from more than 20 countries addressing the 2017 theme “make new history.” artistic directors sharon johnston and mark lee have selected architects and artists whose eye-opening creations will invite the public to explore how the latest architecture can and will make new history in places around the world. the main exhibition is free and open to the public from september 16, 2017 through january 7, 2018. we are particularly proud to premiere our opening in 2017 in alignment with expo chicago.
spectacular vernacular is the first major solo exhibition of work by the design studio parsons & charlesworth. founded by jessica charlesworth and tim parsons, the exhibition uses the chicago rooms to show three distinct facets of their creative practice: observation, experimentation, and speculation. it reveals the way parsons’ and charlesworth’s work mixes their craft and industrial design backgrounds with influences from fiction, science and the arts, to explore the rhetorical, as well as the practical opportunities of designed objects. in doing so it makes the case for independent design practice as a critical response and essential adjunct to the corporate design world, in which individual creativity can find appropriate form.
[ 6 > 12 december calendar ] The Chicago Architecture Biennial is free and open to the general public at the Chicago Cultural Center and sites across the city. The event is supported by the City of Chicago and the Graham Foundation, with additional support from the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, and the Chicago Park District. All funding for the event is privately raised, with significant investments from BP and SC Johnson.
‘casa a’ by selgascano + helloeverything was placed in one of the two largest rooms of the centre, being one of the several full scale housing mock-ups at the show. photography: steve hall, copyright hedrich blessing. courtesy chicago architecture biennial.
can educational partners come together under one roof to create a new model for learning in chicago?
chicago architecture foundation (caf) posed this question through chidesign, an open international ideas competition. design proposals submitted to this competition are presented here with the jury-awarded winners highlighted below. these ideas draw attention to the importance of rethinking urban education and next generation cultural institutions. as cities search for solutions to complex issues around space and resource management, caf is committed to advancing this important community dialogue. see the [ winners ] installation thru 3 january 2016 | chicago architecture foundation | 224 south michigan avenue | #chidesigncaf
For a complete list of exhibitions, public programs, supporters, media partners and program partners, visit [ Chicago Architecture Biennial ] which launched 3 October 2015, and will run through 3 January 3 2016. @chicagobiennial @GrahamFound @ChiCulturCenter
[ 29 november > 5 december calendar ] The Chicago Architecture Biennial is free and open to the general public at the Chicago Cultural Center and sites across the city. The event is supported by the City of Chicago and the Graham Foundation, with additional support from the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, and the Chicago Park District. All funding for the event is privately raised, with significant investments from BP and SC Johnson.
‘s house’ by vo trong nghia architects is another full scale installation that depicts a housing model for vietnam’s mekong river. photography: tom harris, copyright hedrich blessing. courtesy chicago architecture biennial
the main floor of the stony island arts bank will be used for exhibitions, like the current show by carlos bunga. courtesy chicago architecture biennial. image steve hall
For a complete list of exhibitions, public programs, supporters, media partners and program partners, visit [ Chicago Architecture Biennial ] which launched 3 October 2015, and will run through 3 January 3 2016. @chicagobiennial @GrahamFound @ChiCulturCenter
[ 22 > 28 november calendar ] The Chicago Architecture Biennial is free and open to the general public at the Chicago Cultural Center and sites across the city. The event is supported by the City of Chicago and the Graham Foundation, with additional support from the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, and the Chicago Park District. All funding for the event is privately raised, with significant investments from BP and SC Johnson.
Color(ed) Theory’ by Amanda Williams is a project that sees the artist paint abandoned buildings in Chicago in bright colours. Photography: Steve Hall, copyright Hedrich Blessing. Courtesy Chicago Architecture Biennial.
For a complete list of exhibitions, public programs, supporters, media partners and program partners, visit [ Chicago Architecture Biennial ] which launched 3 October 2015, and will run through 3 January 3 2016. @chicagobiennial @GrahamFound @ChiCulturCenter
[ 8 > 14 november calendar ] The Chicago Architecture Biennial is free and open to the general public at the Chicago Cultural Center and sites across the city. The event is supported by the City of Chicago and the Graham Foundation, with additional support from the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, and the Chicago Park District. All funding for the event is privately raised, with significant investments from BP and SC Johnson.
‘Sustainable Housing’ by Tatiana Bilbao SC was one of the few full scale houses reconstructed for the show. It is a prototype for affordable housing for the architect’s home country of Mexico. Photography: Tom Harris, copyright Hedrich Blessing. Courtesy Chicago Architecture Biennial
The Sculpture Objects Functional Art and Design Fair (SOFA) is the premier gallery-presented art fair dedicated to three-dimensional art and design.
Critically acclaimed and continuously running since 1994, what distinguishes SOFA from other top art events is its focus on three-dimensional artworks that cross the boundaries of fine art, decorative art and design. Presented by art galleries and dealers from around the world, SOFA CHICAGO is open to the public and all artwork is for sale.
The fair also includes an acclaimed lecture series and special exhibits exploring the artworks on view and surveying new trends in the art world. A VIP program includes exclusive events tailored to high-profile gallery clients and collector/museum groups.
For a complete list of exhibitions, public programs, supporters, media partners and program partners, visit [ Chicago Architecture Biennial ] which launched 3 October 2015, and will run through 3 January 3 2016. @chicagobiennial @GrahamFound @ChiCulturCenter
[ 18 > 24 october calendar ] The Chicago Architecture Biennial is free and open to the general public at the Chicago Cultural Center and sites across the city. The event is supported by the City of Chicago and the Graham Foundation, with additional support from the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, and the Chicago Park District. All funding for the event is privately raised, with significant investments from BP and SC Johnson.
above> the chicago architecture biennial, which just launched last weekend, is the very first of its kind in north america; a startling fact, even more so when one thinks of the city’s (and country’s) invaluable architectural contribution to modern design. so when it did launch, it did so with a bang. pictured: ‘architecture is everywhere’ by sou fujimoto architects (foreground) plays with the idea that any form can become architecture; ‘house no. 11 (corridor house)’ by moss architects (background) is a comment on mega-mansions, corridors and the use of space in residential building. photography: steve hall, copyright hedrich blessing. courtesy chicago architecture biennial
One of the many exhibits in the Chicago Cultural Center is called “Bold: Alternative Scenarios for Chicago” and features 18 projects and ideas for the city of Chicago. Elsewhere in the Chicago Cultural Center is full-scale house that can be built for less than $4000, by the Vietnamese architecture office Vo Trong Nghia Architects; and the Swiss-based office Gramazio Kohler has collaborated with the MIT Self-Assembly Lab to make the first architectural construction built by robots using only rocks and thread.
For a complete list of exhibitions, public programs, supporters, media partners and program partners, visit [ Chicago Architecture Biennial ] which launched 3 October 2015, and will run through 3 January 3 2016. @chicagobiennial @GrahamFound @ChiCulturCenter
[ 12 > 18 october calendar ] The Chicago Architecture Biennial is free and open to the general public at the Chicago Cultural Center and sites across the city. The event is supported by the City of Chicago and the Graham Foundation, with additional support from the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, and the Chicago Park District. All funding for the event is privately raised, with significant investments from BP and SC Johnson.
‘rock print’ by gramazio kohler research, eth zurich and self-assembly lab, mit was created without any adhesive, while on the wall are images of wai architecture think tank’s ‘narrative architecture: a manifesto” installation. photography: tom harris, copyright hedrich blessing. courtesy chicago architecture biennial
One of the many exhibits in the Chicago Cultural Center is called “Bold: Alternative Scenarios for Chicago” and features 18 projects and ideas for the city of Chicago. Elsewhere in the Chicago Cultural Center is full-scale house that can be built for less than $4000, by the Vietnamese architecture office Vo Trong Nghia Architects; and the Swiss-based office Gramazio Kohler has collaborated with the MIT Self-Assembly Lab to make the first architectural construction built by robots using only rocks and thread.
For a complete list of exhibitions, public programs, supporters, media partners and program partners, visit [ Chicago Architecture Biennial ] which launched 3 October 2015, and will run through 3 January 3 2016. @chicagobiennial @grahamfound
