Ottawa, February 18, 2010 – Tonight, the first public version of the "Hylozoic Ground" project, from architect Philip Beesley destined for the next Venice Biennale, will officially open in studio d'Essai of the Coopérative Méduse, 591, rue de Saint-Vallier Est in Québec City at 5:30 p.m. The Productions Recto-Verso installation is entitled "Hylozoic Soil: Méduse Field" and will be showcased during the Mois Multi, a multidisciplinary and electronic arts festival held in Quebec City until February 28.
The exhibition "Hylozoic Soil: Méduse Field" features a first version of the biomimetic installation which will be presented at the Canada Pavilion in Venice. It includes new layers of work such as a first generation of 'protocell' chemistry systems developed with the University of Southern Denmark and integrated sound and light devices developed with Quebec's Productions Recto-Verso team. Dense arrays of sensors, mechanisms, and numerous minuscule pieces
custom-made on digital fabrication equipment make up the environment. When visitors walk by, the sensors are triggered to shiver and then generate a movement of the geo-textile structures which withdraw, release and open up again. These prototypes represent the first stages of the Venice installation, a "living" architectural artwork.
Download images of this project.
"Hylozoic Ground" is being developed by PBAI (Philip Beesley Architect Inc.) in collaboration with the University of Waterloo School of Architecture, and was selected through a national juried competition. The Canada Council for the Arts held the competition to select Canada's representative at the 2010 Venice Biennale in Architecture. The installation in Venice is being designed by architect Philip Beesley with collaborators Rob Gorbet (engineering director) and Andrew Hunter (independent curator). Together, they bring many years of experience in innovative architecture, art and design.
The Venice Biennale in Architecture, the world's most prestigious architectural exhibition, will take place in Venice, Italy, from August 29 through November 21, 2010. The exhibition is intended to tour a number of Canadian galleries following the installation in Venice.
The Canada Council and the Royal Architecture Institute of Canada are working together to provide financial support and assist with project management for Canada's architectural representation in Venice. This collaboration is part of a larger project to investigate developing support for the advancement of the presentation and appreciation of contemporary Canadian architectural excellence in Canada and abroad.
Canada Council for the Arts
The Canada Council for the Arts is a federal Crown corporation created by an Act of Parliament in 1957. The role of the Council is to foster and promote the study and enjoyment of, and the production of works in, the arts. To fulfill this mandate, the Council offers a broad range of grants and services to professional Canadian artists and arts organizations in dance, integrated arts, media arts, music, theatre, visual arts, and writing and publishing. It also promotes public awareness of the arts through its communications, research and arts promotion activities.
The Council administers the Killam Program of scholarly awards, the Governor General's Literary Awards and the Governor General's Awards in Visual and Media Arts. The Canadian Commission for UNESCO and the Public Lending Right Commission operate within the Council. The Canada Council Art Bank, which has some 17,400 works of contemporary Canadian art in its collection, rents to the public and private sectors.
Royal Architectural Institute of Canada
The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada is a voluntary national association established in 1907 as the voice for architecture and its practice in Canada. Representing more than 4,000 architects, the RAIC is the leading voice of architecture in Canada whose mission is:
- To affirm that architecture matters;
- To celebrate the richness and diversity of architecture in Canada; and
- To support architects in achieving excellence.
Carole Breton
Communications Officer
1-800-263-5588 or
613-566-4414, ext. 4523
Email this contact
Grace Thrasher
Communications Manager
1-800-263-5588 or
613-566-4414, ext. 5145
Email this contact
Royal Architectural Institute of Canada
Sylvie Powell
613-290-1497
spowell@medialanecom.com
Productions Recto-Verso
Sunny Breuil
418-524-7553, ext. 1
infosalles@meduse.org
