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Thursday, 23 February 2006 | Elif Sungur
London Architecture Biennale 2006
Following the overwhelming response to the inaugural London Architecture Biennale in 2004,
the celebration will return in June 2006 on a vastly increased scale - covering a wider geographical area, involving even more prestigious names and organisations and linking with national events including Architecture Week, Cycle Week and Sustainability Week. London Architecture Biennale will once again centre around the Smithfield area but will extend its reach to include a route connecting King's Cross and Bankside. Talks, exhibitions, walks, film screenings, parties, debates, artworks, Thames events and an awards ceremony will reflect the Biennale's aim to celebrate diverse creative talent in London and to bring that talent to bear on real issues that confront the city today. The London Architecture Biennale will form a 5km long architecture exhibition along the Biennale Route. Plans for the nine-day programme, which include invited contributions from architects and planners around the world, include:
-a King's Cross to Borough Market walking and cycling route dotted with interventions, events and guided tours
-an inaugural sheep drive across the Millennium Bridge
-an exhibition on the Millennium Bridge to include exclusive material from Biennale President and author Peter Ackroyd and designed by Arup and Fosters.
-talks and events by internationally acclaimed architects at venues including the
Barbican and Sadler's Wells
-a Biennale Film Series at the Barbican
-artists' projects organised by Tate Modern and the British Library
-events and temporary interventions in open spaces including Paternoster Square,
Clerkenwell Green and Exmouth Market
-'The Laws of Beauty' talk by author / broadcaster Alain de Botton
-a National Architecture Student Festival including the creation of temporary and permanent structures inspired by their immediate surroundings. This year's theme of 'Change' gives a focus for the Biennale events - from change in the physical infrastructure and landscape of the city (including the major developments at Kings Cross and Elephant & Castle), to change in buildings and architectural form; from change in the public's interaction with the built environment, to the change in urban markets - the current vogue for shopping at the historic food markets of Borough and Smithfield - and the constant shifting of the City's financial markets.
The Biennale headquarters will be sited in Smithfield House; Smithfield was the site of the ancient St Bartholomew's Fair, a contemporary re-creation of which will launch the London Architecture Biennale, a festival designed to increase understanding of London and the forces that shape it.
-25,000 people attended the inaugural Biennale over ten days - £6,900 raised for charities Shelter and the Architectural Education Trust
-Over 180 architecture practices and related organisations supported the Biennale
-3,500 tickets sold
Over 70 talks, parties, seminars, film screenings, exhibitions, debates, walks and events brought together internationally respected architects, artists, designers, public figures, celebrities and Londoners to explore the past, present and evolving future of Clerkenwell, an area particularly rich in history (as explored by Biennale president Peter Ackroyd in his talk Echoic Clerkenwell) and home to over 2000 architects.
Highlights of the ten days included Pritzker Prize winner Zaha Hadid's Barbican lecture - the largest architecture ever lecture in the UK - selling out at 1,162 seats; a debate on national BBC radio about Prince Charles' role in recent architecture and a cattle drive which launched the Biennale and attracted 15,000 people to St John Street.
London Architecture Biennale is funded by major corporate sponsors, public sector agencies including the London Development Agency, Transport for London, Arts Council England, local authority funding and individuals.
The Biennale is directed by Peter Murray, Chairman of marketing agency Wordsearch. LAB06 Partners: Architecture Foundation, Central London Partnership, London Borough of Camden, London Borough of Southwark, London Borough of Islington With the support of: Corporation of London and Transport for London London Architecture Biennale is part of the 10th Architecture Week www.architectureweek.org.uk for details of more than 350 events around the country.
The Biennale will take place between 17-25 June 2006.
For more information, please visit http://www.architectureweek.org.uk
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