On the occasion of the Venice Biennale of Architecture 2023 and at the invitation of the New York Institute of Technology, Assistant Professor Juan José Castellón has—with Ornella Iuorio, associate professor in architectural engineering at the Politecnico di Milano—cocurated an exhibition and co-organized a symposium titled Material Ecosystems: Digital, Physical, and Cultural Assemblies. At these events, panelist and viewers explore not only design but also manufacturing processes in which the contemporary and the traditional are intertwined. Digital and analog complement and enhance each other in this space of inquiry.
Material Ecosystems is part of the 18th International Architecture Exhibition titled “The Laboratory of the Future,” curated by Lesley Lokko and organized by La Biennale di Venezia, as one of nine collateral events scheduled. This one, “Students as Researchers: Creative Practice and University Education,” is organized by the New York Institute of Technology.
According to Castellón and Iuorio, the proposed installation and symposium unfold design explorations and manufacturing processes in which virtual simulation tools and traditional manufacturing processes are developed in parallel, establishing a fruitful and enriching dialogue between analog and digital methods, as well as between cutting edge academic research and traditional manufacturing industry. This dialogue produces as a result “material ecosystems” that evolve towards a future in which technological developments facilitate innovative design approaches with technical, cultural, and environmental awareness.
The exhibition and symposium take place at Centro Studi e Documentazione della Cultura Armena in Venice, Italy, November 21–22, 2023. There will be two sessions in the symposium that take place on November 22, 2023. The first, on digital crafts, includes speakers Alessandro Tellini, ETH Zurich; Mariana Popescu, TU Delft; Hanaa Dahy, Aalborg University, Copenhagen; and Ingrid Paoletti, Politecnico di Milano. The second session on material cultures features Patricia Guaita, EPFL Lausanne; Guillem Cumella, Ceràmica Cumella Barcelona; Edouard Cabay, IAAC Barcelona; and Stephanie Chaltiel, MuDD Architects Paris/Barcelona.
Both sessions are free and open to the public. Registration is not required. Please see the adjacent images for the full agenda or visit the associated Eventbrite page.
This event is sponsored and supported by the Politecnico di Milano, Rice Architecture, and the Rice University Carbon Hub.