Austria, Participation, Venice International Architecture Biennale

Austria, Participation The Austrian Pavilion was to be divided into two parts in its original project.

The idea was to open the Biennale to Venetians living in Sant'Elena, on the other side of the perimeter wall of the Biennale gardens.

The gardens where the current Biennale buildings are located first were public gardens Venetians could enjoy.

Over time, the Biennale has continued to expand and consequently restrict Venetians' public space, which they can only access by paying an entrance fee.

The Austrian project was, therefore, to give back the time of the exhibition, half of its own space, to the Venetians by allowing them to access it free of charge and freely.

Austria, Participation By offering their space this way, the Austrians wanted to make it a place of exchange, of encounter, to allow the inhabitants of Sant'Elena to express themselves about their relationship with this cultural institution close to them.

The project, therefore, included the construction of a staircase and a footbridge to pass over the perimeter wall so that Venetians could use it.

A beautiful and exciting initiative that the organizers of the Biennale and the authorities unfortunately rejected.

You can see this desired but unfinished “link” that ends in front of the wall that still separates the Venetian Biennale.

Quite a symbol.

Austria, Participation