Art of Many – The right to Space

Curation of the official Danish contribution to the 15th International Architecture Exhibition in Venice in cooperation with philosopher Kristoffer Lindhardt Weiss.

Under the heading ART OF MANY – THE RIGHT TO SPACE more than 130 Danish projects from 2000 onwards are presented in the form of physical architecture models. A Wunderkammer of existing buildings, as-yet-unrealized proposals and more speculative projects on every scale, all representing a new humanism in Danish architecture. An architecture that puts people first. Non-profit housing, public buildings, cultural and community-engaging institutions, diverse public spaces, new sustainable strategies and critical revisions of formal systems concepts and rigid planning.

The common humanist point of departure for the projects is accentuated and addressed critically in a video installation featuring the Danish architect and urban planning critic Jan Gehl. An insightful look at more than fifty years of urban research and an evidence-based testament to the value of architecture and urban planning that is guided by basic human needs.

The video installation and the densely packed Wunderkammer of models is framed by five agendas: ‘Exit Utopia’, ‘Designing Life’, ‘Pro Community’, ‘Beyond Luxury’ and ‘Claiming Space’, which address the most essential issues for contemporary socially committed Danish architecture, each from a specific thematic perspective.

The third key component of the exhibition is a 520-page catalogue with thematic project descriptions supplemented with essays and interviews.

The Danish architecture critic Karsten Ifversen wrote in Politiken: ‘At the Venice biennale, the Danish contribution highlights our common humanist foundation in an outstanding exhibition and a near-perfect catalogue.’

See the Danish Architecture Centre’s coverage of the exhibition here, and see the catalogue under BBJ’s publications.