Playing with differences and juxtapositions can spark creativity, inspiring exploration of various perspectives, techniques or materials.
Studio KO's Uzbekistan Pavilion at the 18th International Architecture Exhibition in Venice (until November 26th, so this is the last week to enjoy the event) exemplifies this by blending modern and traditional elements.
Responding to Lesley Lokko's Laboratory of the Future theme, for this pavilion - entitled "Unbuild Together: Archaism vs. Modernity" and located in the Quarta Tesa of the Arsenale - Karl Fournier and Olivier Marty's French-Moroccan architecture office Studio KO brought together architecture lecturers and students from the Ajou University in Tashkent, and three associated artists.
Studio KO shared with the students some themes related to contemporary issues as well as others at the center of their own architectural practice - materiality, context, archaism and modernity.
Students were then invited to consider the notions of modernity and context, and to visit several qalas (fortresses) - ancient Zoroastrian sites in Karakalpakstan.
To understand better the ancient Toprak Kala Fortress students collaborated with the leading expert on the archaeology of qalas, Dr Irina Arzhantseva, who wrote a book on Sergei Tolstov's expeditions exploring the ruins of the qalas in the 20th century.
Tolstov documented the architecture and engineering of the qalas in great detail and also collected artefacts from the surrounding areas.
Dr Irina Arzhantseva's research provided valuable insight into the relationship between the qalas and the surrounding communities, and how these structures have shaped the region's identity over time. The idea of a labyrinthian form for the pavilion was then collectively discussed.
In the phase that followed, the students collaborated with Abdulvahid Bukhoriy, an expert in the blue ceramics of Bukhara, which have been forgotten for more than a century.
The ceramist master apprenticed in the '70s with the renowned folk ceramics craftsman Babayev from the Uba village in the Vabkent Region and Master A.I. Narzullayev of the Gizhduvan school of Ceramics. He learnt the fundamentals of modern and traditional Uzbek ceramics from another master, Fazil Mirzayev.
Students experimented with materials, and learnt hot glazing techniques from him. Architect and artist Miza Mucciarelli then crafted a 1:1 wood mock-up of the proposed installation in Venice.
The students' discussions and exchanges were patiently collected during the sessions and were then turned into the main inspiration for El Mehdi Azzam's film and Emine Gözde Sevim's photographic diary, also included in the pavilion.
The pavilion is a physical representation of this background research: the exploration of the ruins of the qalas and of the ancient fortresses of the Karakalpakastan inspired the building recreated inside the pavilion made with bricks salvaged from Venetian construction sites, combined with glazed Uzbek terracotta fragments.
The humble brick remains the starting point for the entire project, something that evokes Louis Khan and his 1971 master class in which he told students to listen to materials, to honour and glorify them, encouraging them to ask a brick what does it want (fashion design students have you been doing that? have you been honouring your materials? because that rule is valid also for you...).
Who knows if the humble brick or if the enamel and glazed bricks included in this installation will inspire something else and will also be translated into something fashionable, such as jewelry pieces.
After all, Studio KO already worked for somebody very close to a fashion house, as they were commissioned the Yves Saint Laurent Museum Marrakech (that opened in 2017) by Pierre Bergé.
At the moment, though, Studio KO's Karl Fournier and Olivier Marty remain focused on their architectural projects: they are currently working on two major projects in Tashkent, Uzbekistan – the transformation of a 1912 diesel station into the future Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA), the country's first contemporary art centre, and the Mahalla Artist Residencies (MAH) project, artist residencies situated in several quarters of the old city that will host a variety of creative workshops.
In the meantime, if you're in Venice, you still have a few days to visit the Uzbekistan Pavilion at the Biennale: if you do, walk slowly through its corridors, and remember that the qalas are an enduring symbol of resilience and strength of local people in Uzbekistan.
There is therefore a metaphor and a message of endurance, determination and tenacity behind these humble bricks that transcends mere architectural significance: the salvaged bricks serve indeed as a tangible symbol affirming that, no matter the fall, there is always the possibility of rising again.
Image credits for this post
1. View of the Uzbekistan National Pavilion at the Biennale Architettura 2023. Image courtesy of ACDF, photo by © Gerda Studio
2, 6-15. Views of the Uzbekistan National Pavilion at the Biennale Architettura 2023 by Anna Battista
3. Toprak Kala view from the walls. Image courtesy of ACDF, photo by © Vyacheslav Pak
4. Toprak Kala Landscape. Image courtesy of ACDF, photo by © Vyacheslav Pak
5. Sophia Bengebara in Khiva. Image courtesy of ACDF, photo by ©Vyacheslav Pak
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