VENICE - Arsenale

10th Biennale of Architecture - China Pavilion - Giardino delle Vergini. This poetic installation is called Tile Garden: a Dialogue Beyond City, Between an Architect and an Artist and is curated by Wang Mingxiam. Behind the Tile Garden is a five year-long dialogue and cooperation between architect, Wang Shu and artist, Xu Jiang. Their unique thinking idea of; how to re-establish site texture with vernacular resources; how to apply the tradition of co-existing nature and buildings in today's reality; how to deal with large-scale demolition and reconstruction, unique in Chinese cities, and to return to the tradition of recycling and reconstruction. Their communication of ideas and spirit is presented in this installation, an environment that connects landscape and inner soul. More than 60000 pieces of old southern Chinese blue tile expands into a giant surface of tiles. When walking above on the bamboo bridge, the experience is like walking on the roof and facing the garden looking back to nature. Perhaps nostalgia will arise in your heart, a sentiment of city and your cultural origin, a nostalgia that crosses all land and goes beyond cities and boundaries. This is my favorite pavilion. The Chinese also won the Golden Lion award for best film at The Venice Film Festival with Still Life directed by Jia Zhang-Ke.

www.labiennale.org