From one watery nation to another: the NZ Institute of Architects has selected the team to represent the country at the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale. Led by Dr Charles Walker, a lecturer at AUT, the group will create an exhibition using the title ‘Future Islands’. Physically, the exhibition will take the form of a series of floating island-like forms that will host digital projections of real and imagined New Zealand architecture.
“Islands have always provided real sites for different ways of living, and imaginary sites for possible ways of living differently,” Walker says. “Historically, they have inspired romantic and utopian narratives, and they have always been, literally, places of discovery.” It may help, of course, that this aquatic theme is being presented in Venice, the most watery of cities. This will be New Zealand’s second time at the architecture biennale.
