txt: Introduction by Kazuyo Sejima, director of the 12th Venice International Architecture Exhibition
We are more connected than ever, our culture, as well as our economy, has become global. Because of this, people’s consciousness and lifestyles change, theoretically and substantially. Sometimes relationships get shaped through indirect communication. Still, we believe that architecture plays a signi?cant role in this: it has the power to open up new perspectives. We imagine ideas that can have far reaching effects. These dreams come from many sources and may represent a new independent freedom that is essentially inherent to contemporary culture. [...] The idea is to help people relate to architecture, to help architecture relate to people, and to help people relate to themselves.txt: Kazuyo Sejima appointed as Director
We are now well into the 21st Century. We can take this opportunity to step back and assess the zeitgeist of now through the process of the Biennale. This can clarify contemporary essentials of architecture and the importance of new relationships as we step into the future. One potent point of departure could be the boundaries and adaptation of space. This might include the removal of boundaries, as well as their clarification. Any part of architecture’s inherent multiplicity of adjacencies can become a topic. It might be argued that contemporary architecture is a rethinking and perhaps softening of those borders.
