May 21, 2014
PRESS RELEASE
Venice Pavilion
14th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia
THE CITY OF VENICE PRESENTS
DANIEL LIBESKIND’S “SONNETS IN BABYLON” AT THE
14th INTERNATIONAL ARCHITECTURE EXHIBITION
Venice, Italy — The Venice Pavilion at this year’s Biennale di Venezia will showcase an installation by Daniel
Libeskind exploring the fundamental tension between architecture and drawing. On view from June 7 to
November 23, 2014, Sonnets in Babylon extends a line of questioning begun by the architect nearly three
decades ago with the debut of Three Lessons in Architecture at the International Architecture Exhibition in
Venice.
Says Prof. Renzo Dubbini, curator of the Venice Pavilion, “The City of Venice is honored to present new work
by a theorist and practitioner whose architecture has received substantial international acclaim since his last
appearance at la Biennale in 1985, when he took that year’s Golden Lion Prize. I look forward to seeing how
this latest presentation amplifies the theme of the 14th International Architecture Exhibition—the `fundamentals’
of architecture.”
“I am always posing lessons for myself, always trying to go further into the nature of architecture,” says
Libeskind. “In this project, using the particular materiality of the hand-drawn mark, glass, and metal structure,
I’m exploring the questions of contemporary life and the fundamentals of architecture: is form disappearing into
Techne or is it a permanent expression of being human?”
Some 100 never-before-exhibited drawings by Libeskind, created by hand from pen and sepia-toned washes of
coffee, comprise the principal element of the pavilion. The series is screen-printed by Lasvit, the architectural
glass-maker, using a ceramic process, on large-scale glass panels and arranged around the curved wall of the
pavilion. Using state of the art technology, ribbons of aluminum panels fixed with discreet LED lights will create
a luminous wall of light and transparency.
The drawings themselves depict explosive uncouplings of ambiguous forms that alternately evoke favelas,
futuristic cities, mechanical parts, and even parts of the human body. Mr. Libeskind extends these forms into the
room environment through the diaphanous layering of glass that will create a continuous landscape.
As visitors approach the pavilion, situated in the Giardini della Biennale di Venezia, they will first encounter a
5.5 meter high (18 feet) sculpture of a skewed axis form finished in the brown ultracompact surfacing material
Dekton by Cosentino. The geometry of the form relates to the development of the axis as a fundamental to
architectural drawing. Libeskind has explored this technical mark in all his major drawing works beginning with
Micromegas continuing with Chamberworks, and now in Sonnets of Babylon. This sculptural “X” will serve as a
starting point—a virtual beginning of a line that runs through the Sonnets and anchors their exploding and
collapsing worlds.
Atelier Castagna Milano, the historic Italian automotive company, is constructing Sonnets in Babylon for
Libeskind Design, the Milan-based design division of Studio Daniel Libeskind.
“Sonnets is incredibly demanding, involving a substructure of iron, steel and wood; more than 100 panels of
glass; and two trucks worth of iron and aluminum paneling. From the beginning, it was clear that an automotive
manufacturer, rather than a conventional builder, would bring the expertise and mindset needed for fabrication,”
notes Lev Libeskind, CEO of Libeskind Design.
This year’s installation for the Venice Pavilion has been made possible thanks to the support of Rolex.
Architecture students from the IUAV University of Venice have contributed with a photography project inspired
by Venice and exhibited in a side room of the Pavilion, in dialogue with Sonnets in Babylon. Dekton by
Cosentino and Novacolor have provided technical support. Thanks goes also to Lasvit and Atelier Castagna
Milano for their contribution to the project.
Dates
Press Conference: May 21, 2014, h.12:15
Municipio di Venezia Ca’ Farsetti, Venice
Opening: June 6, 2014, h. 16:30
Padiglione Venezia, Giardini della Biennale, Venice
About Daniel Libeskind
An international figure in architecture and urban design, the architect Daniel Libeskind is renowned for his
ability to evoke cultural memory in buildings of equilibrium-defying contemporaneity. Informed by a deep
commitment to music, philosophy, and literature, Mr. Libeskind aims to create architecture that is resonant,
original, and sustainable. Born in Lód’z, Poland, in 1946, Mr. Libeskind immigrated to the United States as a
teenager and, with his family, settled in the Bronx. After studying music in New York and Israel on an AmericanIsrael Cultural Foundation Scholarship, he developed into a musical virtuoso, before eventually leaving music to
study architecture. He received his professional degree in architecture from the Cooper Union for the
Advancement of Science and Art in 1970 and a postgraduate degree in the history and theory of architecture
from the School of Comparative Studies at Essex University in England in 1972.
Daniel Libeskind established his architectural studio in Berlin, Germany, in 1989 after winning the competition
to build the Jewish Museum in Berlin. In February 2003, Studio Daniel Libeskind moved its headquarters from
Berlin to New York City when Daniel Libeskind was selected as the master planner for the World Trade Center
redevelopment. Daniel Libeskind’s practice is involved in designing and realizing a diverse array of urban,
cultural and commercial projects internationally. The Studio has completed buildings that range from museums
and concert halls to convention centers, university buildings, hotels, shopping centers and residential towers.
As Principal Design Architect for Studio Daniel Libeskind (SDL), Mr. Libeskind speaks widely on the art of
architecture in universities and professional summits. His architecture and ideas have been the subject of many
articles and exhibitions, influencing the field of architecture and the development of cities and culture. Mr.
Libeskind lives in New York with his wife and business partner, Nina Libeskind.
In addition to the New York headquarters, Studio Libeskind has European partner offices based in Zürich,
Switzerland and Milan, Italy.
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Press contacts
Venezia Municipality
Ufficio Stampa e Comunicazione web
ufficio.stampa@comune.venezia.it
T +39 041 2748290 F +39 041 2748311
Venice Pavilion
Alessandra Morgagni
Comunicazione & Media Relations
ale.morgagni@gmail.com
M +39 348 3884038
Studio Daniel Libeskind
Amanda de Beaufort
Director of Communications
amanda.debeaufort@daniel-libeskind.com
T +1 212 497 9168 M +1 347 405 2205
Press kit at website: www.padiglionevenezia2014.it