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• VENICE • PARIS • BERLIN •
15 April – 29 April 2024
Focusing on the intersection of art and the environment, this programme is named after the theme of the 2024 Venice Architectural Biennale, ‘How shall we live together’. This course travels to Venice, Paris and Berlin to study the societal, environmental and political issues surrounding art and architecture starting at this landmark exhibition in Venice. Such a programme will be particularly good for forward looking students who are also interested in public policy, architecture, society, anthropology and design.
For more information, please email [email protected]
Programme Highlights
Venice
The course will begin in Venice on the 15th June focussing on the Art Biennale . The theme for 2024 is ‘Stranieri Ovunque – Foreigners Everywhere’ curated by Lesley Lokko. We’ll be exploring various national pavilions, British, American, French… all of which have great exhibits. In the old arsenal there is the rope hall, which is a weird and magnificent building, and stretches 400 meters. All these jaw-dropping spaces are given over to ideas, making it a perfect opportunity for critical thought and discussion. Meanwhile, the Biennale is spread all around Venice in palaces not usually open to the public. It makes the whole experience a unique wonderland.
Paris
In Paris students will stay close to the Sorbonne, on the left bank, in the university quarter. One day will be given over to the rebranding of Paris from a dismal medieval, dysfunctional slum, into a city of light. This was Haussmann’s genius and it transformed society and created a new way of living, which in turn became a template for New York. Another day will be spent going out to the experimental Villa Savoy by Corbusier, which arguably changed the way we live. The Villa is not far from Giverny, which was Monet’s house and garden and made famous by his ‘Water Lilly’ paintings. This is often a crowded place, but in these months, it might be an ideal time to visit. A third day will be spent in Paris looking at some of the art and social changes that came about as a result of architectural change – notably Impressionism.
Berlin
The course will then fly to Berlin. On day one, we will look at Berlin as a city of the enlightenment and the centre of Bismark’s empire. We will also visit the Reichstag for breakfast on the roof and thereafter visit the wonderful modern dome by Norman Foster. A day will also be given over to Germania and Hitler’s plans for a model city, not unlike the Rome envisioned by Augustus or EUR by Mussolini. A day will also focus on Berlin after The Wall and how Germany has been reunited. There is also a fantastic contemporary art scene.
