In this episode, we sit down with the curator of the 19th International Architecture Exhibition, architect and engineer by training, Carlo Ratti to indulge in his curatorial process and vision. Taking on the mantle of directorship for La Biennale di Venezia is no small feat; in this episode, recorded shortly before the opening, Ratti emphasises the chorus of voices brought together in his exhibition, from disciplines adjacent to and even seemingly removed from conventional architectural practice. By bringing together various forms of intelligence to inform the future of spatial practice, Ratti’s curatorial composition suggests ways in which architecture could foster a harmony of the spheres.

In this episode, we focus on the Belgian participation. Titled Building Biospheres, the exhibition, curated by the teams of Bas Smets and Stefano Mancuso, is a prototype for the ongoing research on the possible impact of plant intelligence on architecture, and more specifically on the indoor climate. The notion of plant intelligence is explored through the climatic environment within the pavilion, regulated entirely by plants and flora which communicate with digitally calibrated systems. A product of a ten-year long conversation, the premise of the project is to underline the paradigm that architecture should support life — beyond the human.

In this episode, we focus on the Portuguese participation. Titled Paraíso, hoje. (Paradise, today), the exhibition curated by Paula Melâneo, Pedro Bandeira, Luca Martinucci and deputy curators Catarina Raposo and Nuno Cera challenges nostalgic or utopian ideas of paradise proposing paradise as a present and active condition — something to be reclaimed through collective responsibility, critical optimism, and dignified action. Specifically, in this episode we tune into the voices of landscape architect and deputy curator Catarina Raposo, Director and Chief Curator of the Canadian Centre for Architecture, Giovanna Borasi, The Architectural Review’s Editor-in-Chief Manon Mollard, and sound artist and publisher Nuno da Luz, moderated by curator, critic and communication strategist Julia Albani to discuss the concept of "paradise" in the context of environmental challenges and the importance of collective imagination in addressing these.

In this episode, we are delighted to bring into conversation two national participations which include that of Latvia and Lebanon through the voices of Liene Jākobsone, co-curator along Ilka Ruby and Shereen Doummar as part of the Collective for Architecture Lebanon. The two projects respectively titled Landscape of Defense and The Land Remembers address the land and the impact that ongoing wars are having on this, from Lebanon’s devastating ecocide to the fortifications which are being erected on Latvia's eastern border with Russia.

In this episode, we are pleased to bring into conversation two national participations which include that of Denmark and The Holy See through the voices of Søren Pihlmann, curator of the Danish participation, as well as Marina Otero Verzier and Tatiana Bilbao, respectively curator and architect of The Holy See Pavilion. The two projects titled Build of Site and Opera Aperta explore the importance of the material, ecological and social repair of our built environment to ensure the creation of more sustainable and inclusive architectural interventions.

In this episode, we are delighted to bring into conversation two participations which include that of Bahrain and the Terms and Conditions project presented in the context of the Main Exhibition at the Arsenale through the voices of Andrea Faraguna, curator of the Bahrain participation - titled Heatwave winner of the Golden Lion for Best National Participation - and Daniel A. Barber together with Dehlia Hannah, curators of Terms and Conditions. The conversation explores the role of architecture in adapting to changing climates, the ethical implications of comfort in a global context and the potential for cultural institutions to challenge traditional expectations of thermal comfort.

In this episode, we focus on the Nordic participation. Titled Industry Muscle: Five Scores for Architecture, the exhibition, commissioned by curator Kaisa Karvinen and curated by artist Teo Ala-Ruona in collaboration with both artist Teo Paaer and architect A.L. Hu critically examines the modernist legacy of Sverre Fehn’s pavilion. Specifically unfolding through “the five scores of architecture” the installation addresses issues of gender, body politics, and petromodernism.