Magda Cichon: “We lived on this for a year and a half”

The work done by the curators of the Venice Biennale mostly remains off-screen – the numerous industry reporters that come to the event don’t seem to write much about it. The backstage of this year’s biennale is uncovered by Magda Cichon, the managing partner and the chief architect of Blank Architects, who knows firsthand how it all went along.

Interviewed by:

Translated by:
Anton Mizonov

06 July 2018

Interview

Firm:

Blank Architects https://blank.su/

Magda, thank you for agreeing to share the secrets of the curators’ backstage work with us! It is always interesting to learn how creative people come to a certain result.

It’s not so much a secret as it is a family story. Here is the thing – I am half Irish, and there are also architects in the Irish part of our family. Ireland is a small country, practically the whole of it is concentrated in Dublin, and the biennale curators of this year – the Irish architects Shelley McNamara and Yvonne Farrell – invited two members of my family to take part in the creation of the biennale. And it was them that shared with me how it all went along, and we virtually lived on that for a year and a half.

It was interesting to me as an architect to see how the curators’ work was done, and what the end result was. Probably this is the reason why I was not so much interested in national pavilions, and when I talk about the biennale with other architects I recommend them to pay a fair bit of attention to the curators’ pavilions.

Before this year’s biennale, the names of Shelley McNamara and Yvonne Farrell were not really known to general public, and even not that much in the professional circles. How come they were chosen to be the curators?

Yes, it’s true, they are not on the “star” or the “celebrity” list of the world’s architecture. At the same time, Shelley McNamara and Yvonne Farrell are really good architects. They teach architecture in various universities, they’ve got lots of professional awards, and they make great architecture. This must be the reason why the organizers of the biennale noticed them and invited them as the curators.

The curators made in Venice not one but two expositions – one in Arsenale and one in Giardini. How did they organize their work in Arsenale?

Some of the Arsenale’s buildings date back to the XII century. These are very old multilayered structures. Once, back in the day, they were used by the military, and now they serve as exhibition venues – architectural biennales alternate with biennales of modern art there. And every year they make some changes to the building: for art events, they create a special space, and the architectural exhibitions are also organized in accordance with their specifics.

zooming — Magda Cichon, the managing partner and the chief architect of Blank Architects © Blank Architects

While working with the space of Arsenale, Shelley McNamara and Yvonne Farrell did a tremendous job of making sure they let in enough sunlight. At first, they opened all the doors and windows, even those that were long since forgotten about. They did everything to help the buildings breathe freely. And as an architect, I quite understand their desire to see this space.

And, having done that, they began a survey of how this new light and outer effects would interact with the exhibition. How, for example, the exhibition would be affected by the flecks of light from the water in the channel that flows down one of the side façades of Arsenale. And only after they had studied all these details, the curators started thinking about the way to figure out how to inscribe the architects’ works into the space that they got, and how to do it respectfully.

The organizers of the biennale did not understand how exactly the exhibition would operate, and how much ambient light would be there in the building at a given moment. The rules say that exhibitions must be lit by cold lights, while sunlight is obviously warm. However, the curators insisted on their solution, and then they mixed up the warm and the cold light. And this play of light was very exciting.

Arsenale hosted the works by the invited architects. What were the selection criteria for the participants of this exposition?

This second part of the curators’ task was related to the festival’s theme, which was FreeSpace. And the curators’ approach to the problem of shortlisting the architects is also very interesting. These had to be people who work with art of architecture, immerse themselves in it, and teach students. Yet another criterion was more architects from different countries, including the developing countries of Asia and Africa that nobody had heard about before. The candidates’ portfolios were also a factor – what was their input into architecture that they had made during their practice, and what new themes they explored. So, this biennale opens up a lot of new names. Famous architects were also invited, of course – BIG and Peter Zumthor.

All in all, they shortlisted 100 architects. This list was then divided in the middle of the alphabet by the two curator architects, each of them getting 50 architects, very different, and with very different approaches to their work. There were even architects who said that they would just make their installation on the spot.

At the end of Arsenale, they built a bamboo pavilion over the water where everyone would wind up to take a rest, discuss what they saw and meditate. Its authors, the guys from Vietnam, just came round and said: “We don’t do projects for such pavilions. We’ve got the art in our hands. We’ve got the materials, and we’re going to make an installation here and now!” This is so vastly different from the habitual approach when you first do sketches, then a project, and then you go over to the implementation stage.

How did the curators go about arranging the exposition? Were the expo places that showcased the work of the hundred featured architects defined in advance or were they put together like a jigsaw puzzle?

The curators wanted to put the composition together based on how the building worked: how the sunlight and its reflections would fall through the windows, and how the theme would be built up to its climax. The architects’ installations were arranged in such a way as to immerse the visitors into the theme and then give them an opportunity to take a rest: the concentration of the theme gradually becomes less dense.

Ultimately, Arsenale got an exposition that could be easily read by the visitors; it took you two days to examine all of the architects’ works and get an impression from every single one of them.

What were the curators able to do in Giardini?

The exposition of the Giardini pavilion is based on the chain “past-present-future”. Here, in my opinion, the curators were particularly successful in working with the history of architecture. We as architects do a lot of drawing, and it is important for us what goes to the construction site and what doesn’t. Just think back to the times of Le Corbusier, Louis Isadore Kahn, and и Frank Lloyd Wright – there were tons of projects that were never implemented. These projects are seldom spoken about, and the curators brought them back to light. Back in those days, architecture was more of an art than it is now. Everything was on paper, and everything was drawn by hand. The communication between the architect and the client was also different – it was all about letters and telegrams. It is shown in the project that the Japanese did for Venice. Today, you can instantly send your project materials by electronic mail or even by What’s App. And back in those days an architect would have to send his sheet, wait for an answer, make corrections, send his sheet again, and again wait for an answer. This routine could take up months. And, possibly, it wasn’t such a bad thing that the communication was so slow. Today, many architectural issues are resolved too quickly.

The theme of the past is explored by the curators through installations that were executed by Ireland’s top architectural firms. The curators asked them to select their favorite projects out of the ones that were built from the break of the last century to the 1930’s and showcase the work of those architects through these installations, as if seeing them through the eyes of modern architects.

And, although the subject of our conversation is the curators’ work, I cannot help but ask you about your opinion of the national pavilions. Which one did you like most of all, and why?

I really liked the Nordic Countries Pavilion where Sweden, Norway, and Finland created a multilayered composition with a bio-organic theme that you cannot even read at first sight.

This is essentially correct approach to working with space, light, and air. And I just cannot help wondering how this all came about – there are lots of great architects in these three countries, how could they ever come to an agreement to share about a single theme? This approach – I would call it “humble” – is all about reserve, modesty, dignity. This humble approach also shows through in the work the curators of the biennale.

Firm:

Blank Architects https://blank.su/

06 July 2018

Interviewed by:

Translated by:
Anton Mizonov

Headlines now

Object

A Step Forward

The HIDE residential complex represents a major milestone for ADM architects and their leaders Andrey Romanov and Ekaterina Kuznetsova in their quest for a fresh high-rise aesthetic – one that is flexible and layered, capable of bringing vibrancy to mass and silhouette while shaping form. Over recent years, this approach has become ADM’s “signature style”, with the golden HIDE tower playing a pivotal role in its evolution. Here, we delve into the project’s story, explore the details of the complex’s design, and uncover its core essence.

Object

Gold in the Sands

A new office for a transcontinental company specializing in resource extraction and processing has opened in Dubai. Designed by T+T Architects, masters of creating spaces that are contemporary, diverse, flexible, and original, this project exemplifies their expertise. On the executive floor, a massive brass-clad partition dominates, while layered textures of compressed earth create a contextually resonant backdrop.

Object

Layers and Levels of Flight

This project goes way back – Reserve Union won this architectural competition at the end of 2011, and the building was completed in 2018, so it’s practically “archival”. However, despite being relatively unknown, the building can hardly be considered “dated” and remains a prime example of architectural expression, particularly in the headquarters genre. And it’s especially fitting for an aviation company office. In some ways, it resembles the Aeroflot headquarters at Sheremetyevo but with its own unique identity, following the signature style of Vladimir Plotkin. In this article, we take an in-depth look at the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) headquarters in the Moscow agglomeration town of Zhukovsky, supplemented by recent photographs from Alexey Naroditsky – a shoot that became only recently possible due to the fact that improvements were finally made in the surrounding area.

Object

Light and Shadow

In this article, we delve into the architectural design of the “Chaika” house by DNK ag architects, which was recently completed in 2023 as part of the collection of signature designs at ZILArt. As is well-known, all the buildings in this complex follow a design code, yet each one is distinct. This particular building stands out not only for its whiteness and minimalism but also for the refined use of a limited number of techniques that, together, create what can confidently be called synergy.

View

Casus Novae

A master plan was developed for a large residential area with a name of “DNS City”, but now that its implementation began, the plan has been arbitrarily reformatted and replaced with something that, while similar on the surface, is actually quite different. This is not the first time such a thing happens, but it’s always frustrating. With permission from the author, we are sharing Maria Elkina’s post.

Report

Treasure Hunting

The GAFA bureau, in collaboration with Tegola and Arkhitail, organized an expedition to the island of Kilpola in Karelia as part of Moskomarkhitektura’s “Open City” festival. There, amidst moss and rocks, the students sought answers to questions like: what is the sacred, where does it dwell, and what sustains it? Assisting the participants in this quest were landscape engineer Evgeny Levin, artist Nicholas Roerich, a moose, and the lack of cellular connection. Here’s how the story unfolded.

Object

Depths of the Earth, Streams of Water

In the Malaya Okhta district, the Akzent building, designed by Stepan Liphart, was constructed. It follows a classic tripartite structure, yet it’s what you might call “hand-drawn”: each façade is unique in its form and details, some of which aren’t immediately noticeable. In this article, we explore the context and, together with the architect, delve into how the form was developed.

Object

Fir Tree Dynamics

The “Airports of Region” holding is planning to build an airport in Karachay-Cherkessia, aiming to make the Arkhyz and Dombay resorts more accessible to travelers. The project that won in an invitation-only competition, submitted by Sergey Nikeshkin’s KPLN, blends natural imagery inspired by the shape of a conifer seed, open-air waiting spaces, majestic large trees, and a green roof elevated on needle-like columns. The result is both nature-inspired and WOW.

Object

A Brick Shell

In the process of designing a clubhouse situated among pine trees in a prestigious suburban area near Moscow, the architectural firm “A.Len” did the façade design part. The combination of different types of brick and masonry correlates with the volumetric and plastique solutions, further enhanced by the inclusion of wood-painted fragments and metal “glazing”.

Report

Word Forms

ATRIUM architects love ambitious challenges, and for the firm’s thirtieth anniversary, they boldly play a game of words with an exhibition that dives deep into a self-created vocabulary. They immerse their projects – especially art installations – into this glossary, as if plunging into a current of their own. You feel as if you’re flowing through the veins of pure art, immersed in a universe of vertical cities, educational spaces – of which the architects are true masters – and the cultural codes of various locations. But what truly captivates is the bold statement that Vera Butko and Anton Nadtochy make, both through their work and this exhibition: architecture, above all, is art – the art of working with form and space.

Object

Flexibility and Acuteness of Modernity

Luxurious, fluid, large “kokoshniks” and spiral barrel columns, as if made from colorful chewing gum: there seem to be no other mansion like this in Moscow, designed in the “Neo-Russian-Modern” style. And the “Teremok” on Malaya Kaluzhskaya, previously somewhat obscure, has “come alive with new colors” and gained visibility after its restoration for the office of the “architectural ecosystem” as the architects love to call themselves. It’s evident that Julius Borisov and the architects at UNK put their hearts into finding this new office and bringing it up to date. Let’s delve into the paradoxes of this mansion’s history and its plasticity. Spoiler: two versions of modernity meet here, both balancing on the razor’s edge of “what’s current”.

Interview

Yuri Vissarionov: “A modular house does not belong to the land”

It belongs to space, or to the air... It turns out that 3D printing is more effective when combined with a modular approach: the house is built in a workshop and then adapted to the site, including on uneven terrain. Yuri Vissarionov shares his latest experience in designing tourist complexes, both in central Russia and in the south. These include houseboats, homes printed from lightweight concrete using a 3D printer, and, of course, frame houses.

Object

Moscow’s First

“The quality of education largely depends on the quality of the educational environment”. This principle of the last decade has been realized by Sergey Skuratov in the project for the First Moscow Gymnasium on Rostovskaya Embankment in the Khamovniki district. The building seamlessly integrates into the complex urban landscape, responding both to the pedestrian flow of the city and the quiet alleyways. It skillfully takes advantage of the height differences and aligns with modern trends in educational space design. Let’s take a closer look.

Object

Looking at the Water

The site of Villa Sonata stretches from the road to the water’s edge, offering its own shoreline, pier, and a picturesque river panorama. To reveal these sweeping views, Roman Leonidov “cut” the façade diagonally parallel to the river, thus getting two main axes for the house and, consequently, “two heads”. The internal core – two double-height spaces, a living room and a conservatory, with a “bridge” above them – makes the house both “transparent” and filled with light.

Object

The White Wing

Well, it’s not exactly white. It’s more of a beige, white-stone structure that plays with the color of limestone – smoother surfaces are lighter, while rougher ones are darker. This wing unites various elements: it absorbs and interprets the surrounding themes. It responds to everything, yet maintains a cohesive expression – a challenging task! – while also incorporating recognizable features of its own, such as the dynamic cuts at the bottom, top, and middle.

Object

Urban Dunes

The XSA Ramps team designed and built a three-part sports hub for a park in Rostov-on-Don, welcoming people of all ages and fitness levels. The skate plaza, pump track, and playground are all meticulously crafted with details that attract a diverse range of visitors. The technical execution of the shapes and slopes transforms this space into a kind of sculptural composition.

Object

Proportional Growth

The project for the fourth phase of the ÁLIA residential area has been announced. The buildings are situated on an elongated plot – almost a “ray” that shoots out from the center of the area towards the river. Their layout reflects both a response to Moscow’s architectural preferences over the past 15 years, shifting “from blocks to towers”, and an interpretation of the neighboring business park designed by SOM. Additionally, the best apartments here are not located at the very top but closer to the middle, forming a glowing “waistline”.

Object

The “Staircase” Building

In designing the “Details” residential complex in New Moscow, Rais Baishev spiced up the now-popular Moscow theme of a “courtyard” building with an idea drawn from the surrealist drawings by Maurits Escher. He envisioned the stepped silhouettes and descending slopes as a metaphysical mega-staircase, creating a key void within the courtyard that gave the project an internal “spine”. This concept is felt both in the building’s silhouette and on its façades.

Object

Projection of the Quarter

No one doubted that the building that Vladimir Plotkin designed as part of the “Garden Quarters” would be the most modernist of all. And it turned out just that way: while adhering to the common design code, the building successfully combines brick and white stone, rhythmically responding to the neighboring building designed by Ostozhenka, yet tactfully and persistently making a few statements of its own. This includes the projection of the ideal urban development composition “14–9–6”, which can be found right next door, mathematical calculations, including those for various types of terraces (and perhaps the only reminder of the Soviet past of the Kauchuk rubber factory!), and the white “cross-stitch” pattern of the façade grid.

Object

Domus Aurea

In this issue, we examine the “Tessinsky-1” house, designed by Sergey Skuratov and completed in 2023. Located in the middle of the Serebryanicheskaya Embankment district, at the intersection of its main streets, this house assumes a sort of “nodal” role: it not only responds to everything around it and preserves many memories of the former EMA factory within itself, but it weaves all this into a newly directed pattern, reconciling bright “gold” and dark-colored brick, largely with the help of the new, modern-yet-archaic Columba brick, which, come to think about it, is the most precious element here.

send.project

The Chimney of Nikola-Lenivets

In this issue, we are examining the “Obelisk House” designed by KATARSIS and built for the Arkhstoyanie 2023 festival. However, it was only finished later on, and this is why we are examining it now. It seems to us that after the “Obelisk House” appeared in Nikola-Lenivets, a dialogue and a few inner connections appeared between the temporary structures built here. These houses no longer look like “accidental neighbors”, more of which below.

Periscope by the Bay

The jury awarded the second place in the competition for a public and cultural center in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky to the companies GORA (“Mountain”) and M4. In the consortium’s proposal, the building resembles a sperm whale with a calf swimming next to it or a periscope, whose lenses capture the most spectacular views from the surrounding landscape.

Contest Results

From Arcs to Dolmens

While working on the competition project for Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, ASADOV Architects prioritized the value of the natural and urban environment, aiming to preserve the balance of the location while minimizing the resemblance of the volume that they designed to a “traditional building”. The task was challenging, and the architects created three versions, one of which having been developed after the competition, where their main proposal took third place. However, the point of interest here is not the competition result but the continuity of creative thinking.

Object

Hide and Seek

The ID Moskovskiy house, designed by Stepan Liphart in St. Petersburg, in the courtyards near Moskovskiy Avenue beyond the Obvodny Canal and recently completed, is notable for several reasons. Firstly, it has been realized with considerable accuracy, which is particularly significant as this is the first building where the architect was responsible not only for the facades but also for the layouts, allowing for better integration between the two. On the other hand, this building is interesting as an example of the “germination” of new architecture in the city: it draws on the best examples from the neighborhood and becomes an improved and developed sum of ideas found by the architect in the surrounding context.

The Big Twelve

Yesterday, the winners of the Moscow Mayor’s Architecture Award were announced and honored. Let’s take a look at what was awarded and, in some cases, even critique this esteemed award. After all, there is always room for improvement, right?

Object

Above the Golden Horn

The residential complex “Philosophy” designed by T+T architects in Vladivostok, is one of the new projects in the “Golubinaya Pad” area, changing its development philosophy (pun intended) from single houses to a comprehensive approach. The buildings are organized along public streets, varying in height and format, with one house even executed in gallery typology, featuring a cantilever leaning on an art object.

Report

Nuanced Alternative

How can you rhyme a square and space? Easily! But to do so, you need to rhyme everything you can possibly think of: weave everything together, like in a tensegrity structure, and find your own optics too. The new exhibition at GES-2 does just that, offering its visitor a new perspective on the history of art spanning 150 years, infused with the hope for endless multiplicity of worlds and art histories. Read on to see how this is achieved and how the exhibition design by Evgeny Ace contributes to it.

Object

Blinds for Ice

An ice arena has been constructed in Domodedovo based on a project by Yuri Vissarionov Architects. To prevent the long façade, a technical requirement for winter sports facilities, from appearing monotonous, the architects proposed the use of suspended structures with multidirectional slats. This design protects the ice from direct sunlight while giving the wall texture and detail.

Contest Results

Frozen Magma

A competition for the creation of a public and cultural center was held in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Three architectural companies made it to the final, and we consider it important to share about the work of each. Let’s start with the winner – the consortium led by Wowhaus.

Report

Campus within a Day

In this article, we talk about what the participants of Genplan Institute of Moscow’s hackathon were doing at the MosComArchitecture booth at the “ArchMoscow” exhibition. We also discuss who won the prize and why, and what can be done with the territory of a small university on the outskirts of Moscow.