Biennalepavilions.com invites to experience the National Pavilions of the Biennale Architettura 2021 online

With the opening of the Biennale Architettura 2021, entitled “How will we live together?” curated by Hashim Sarkis, Biennale Pavilions www.biennalepavilions.com, a brand-new collective digital platform has been launched.

Borne of a collective sense of community, collaboration and exchange of ideas, the project enables visitors to also enjoy the contents of some of the National Pavilions of Biennale Architettura 2021 online, ensuring the participation of a higher number of visitors in times of travel and public gathering restrictions.

The action was launched by six National Pavilions, Estonia, Switzerland (Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia), Lithuania (Rupert), Great Britain (British Council), Finland (Archinfo), and Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (Luxembourg Center for Architecture) belonging to the Commissioner Group, who felt the urge to address the limitations imposed by Covid-19. So far, the initiative encompasses 19 countries, including in addition to the above, Austria, Canada, Dominican Republic, France, Grenada, Kuwait, Latvia, Nordic Pavilion, Poland, Singapore, USA, The Netherlands, and Turkey — and will likely grow in the coming months, covering the entire duration of the event.

This year, more than ever, La Biennale di Venezia has become a hybrid event due to the global pandemic — a new reality that has accelerated the use of digital tools and empowered the participating National Pavilions to create new ways of engaging with their audiences. Most countries are opting for online or hybrid inauguration events during the opening week in May 2021 and will continue to disseminate their talks, seminars and other events online over the summer and into autumn. Biennalepavilions.com will bring together all these events in one online hub, not substituting the main physical event, but enhancing its potentialities.

“The biennalepavilions.com website has been designed to add value to the national pavilion’s exhibits. It is the joint effort of various participating countries. This digital door to the frontline of architecture helps visitors and participants to stay tuned to the latest events and discussions from all over the world,” affirms Raul Järg, Commissioner and Director of the Estonian Centre of Architecture.

Visitors will be able to browse the calendar of events and save them in their own personal calendar in a single click, to filter the pavilions by relevant tags, browse each pavilion page for main information about their exhibitions, upcoming events, and to easily find all dedicated websites and contact information. Moreover, all events will stay accessible and can be re-watched anytime from the archive on the website.

The six countries worked in synergy, together with all the Commissioner Group members, to bring this initiative to life, relying on Estonia and its renowned technological advanced tradition for the virtual infrastructure. It’s no wonder that the country has been hailed as the “most advanced digital society in the world” (according to EU-Startups.com).

As well as being a necessity for challenging times, Biennalepavilions.com will also be a great medium with which to spread architectural knowledge tied to the Biennale Architettura 2021 around the world in an easily accessible way, potentially introducing a higher rate of engaged participants in the architectural debate.

The Biennalepavilions.com has been produced and coordinated by the Estonian Centre for Architecture in collaboration with the Commissioner Group.