P. Hebbelinck - P. de Wit: politics and Architecture - Venice Biennale

During the first week of the 15th Venice Biennale of Architecture, the Atelier d’architecture Pierre Hebbelinck - Pierre de Wit will organise several events on the theme Politics and Architecture.

These events consist of the exhibitions of models and graphic documents as well as of three literary cafés on May 26th, 27th and 28th organised in collaboration with the Lille-based office HBAAT and focusing on the relationship between architecture and politics, where foreign speakers are invited to lead the debates. Let's mention Françoise Fromonot and Valéry Didelon (French revue Criticat), Bernard Quirot (Equerre d'Argent 2015), Emmanuel Caille (editor of d'Architectures), André Tavares (Porto), Ana Jara (Lisbonne), Igor Kovacevic (Praga),...

The theme will also be tackled through the book dé-livré which is born after the stop of the construction site of the temporary Centre Pompidou of Maubeuge on which the Atelier d’architecture Pierre Hebbelinck – Pierre de Wit was working in cooperation with the Lille-based office HBAAT.

This project, which consisted of the transformation, refurbishment and extension of an arsenal Vauban (built between 1679 and 1683) into a contemporary art exhibition centre, was stopped for political reasons.

Indeed, after an election, the construction site closed after four months, and the decision to quit the project was taken by the political force. Given the situation, the idea of making a book, as a testimony of a link between architecture and politics, saw the light, despite all the prior conditions. The publishing company Fourre-Tout, within the architecture office, gave life to a black and white images collection of five hundred pages and texts written by Emmanuel Caille, editor-in-chief of French magazine d’Architectures, relating the sped up story of an architecture project and political conditions, from its creation to its premature end. Furthermore, Fourre-Tout has also been selected as co-curator and publishing company for the French Pavilion.

With the support of Wallonia-Brussels International.