The High Museum of Art in Atlanta has been selected to present the exhibition Workshopping: An American Model of Architectural Practice at the U.S. pavilion at La Biennale di Venezia, the 12th International Architecture Exhibition. La Biennale opens to the public on August 29 and is on view through November 21, 2010.
Workshopping explores the role of the trans-disciplinary collaborations in architecture, spotlighting seven architecture projects with a focus on research and social engagement.
The architectural groups include:
Archeworks design school (Chicago),
cityLAB at UCLA/AUD with Roger Sherman Architecture and Urban Design (Los Angeles),
Hood Design Studio (Oakland),
Michael Meredith and Hilary Sample (MOS) (Cambridge and New Haven),
Anthony Fontenot, Guy Nordenson, and Catherine Seavitt (Princeton, New Orleans and New York),
John Portman & Associates (Atlanta), and
Terreform led by Michael Sorkin (New York).
Workshopping is co-curated by Michael Rooks, Wieland Family Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the High Museum, and Jonathan D. Solomon, founding editor of 306090 Books and Acting Head of the Department of Architecture at the University of Hong Kong. The High Museum has partnered with 306090 to co-organize the exhibition, which will be designed by native Atlanta artist Danielle Roney. The U.S. Pavilion is presented by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State, which supports and manages the official United States participation at selected international exhibitions.
For the American pavilion, Rooks and Solomon present the architect as a force for change. The exhibition highlights projects in which a designer identifies an urban problem or condition and initiates research into its foundation and potential solutions without prompting by a client assignment or proposal request. The designers then engage their design skills and insights to catalyze action.
"We wanted to use this platform to propose that architecture constitutes the shared space of ideas in research, social engagement, and public-private initiatives-the foundational values of American architectural practice," said Michael Rooks.
"Workshopping assembles a group of architects who are actively redefining the role of the discipline, initiating collaborative projects which stake out exciting new territory. This includes experiments with new materials and structures to produce spaces for public enjoyment, research into how cities and regions can ensure social and environmental sustainability, and examples of how public-private partnerships can generate vibrant communities," said Jonathan Solomon.
The projects featured in the exhibition constitute a uniquely American model of architectural design and economic development, defined by a reliance on public and private sector collaborations and often aided by government, foundation, and non-profit support. The exhibition highlights the evolving relationship between designer, builder, and client in cities across America, as it focuses on projects and collaborations rather than individual practices, and on process and impact rather than product.