Sa 09 Jan 10

4th IABR Exhibits Travel Abroad

The projects of the 4th International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam (IABR) have attracted attention worldwide. In 2010, four of the biennale exhibits will be travelling to three continents.
Precisely one day after the 4th edition of this event ended in the Netherlands, Projects for the Open City opened in Paris on Monday, 11 January. In the months following the Parisian exhibition, various components of the Open City project will be travelling to Istanbul, Jakarta and São Paulo.

Open City/Refuge in Istanbul
On 5 March, Open City/Refuge will open its doors in Istanbul, Turkey, as part of Istanbul 2010: Cultural Capital of Europe.  This project includes a presentation of the Refuge exhibit, one of the components of Open City: Designing Coexistence, to be held at DEPO/Tütün Deposu, in downtown Istanbul during the months of March and April. At the same time, the DEPO will also be hosting a specially designed photo exhibition showing works by the Rotterdam architectural photographer, Bas Princen. This exhibit will then continue on to be shown in Amman, Beirut and Cairo. In a close partnership with Bilgi University, the Open City Istanbul: Designing Coexistence exhibition will be held in late April, and prepared in collaboration with the Rotterdam and Amsterdam Urban Construction departments.

Open City/Squat in São Paulo
The study of the Paraisópolis favela conducted over the past two years in cooperation with partners in São Paulo has resulted in “Squat”, one of the sub-exhibits of the main exhibition Open City: Designing Coexistence. This sub-exhibit, Open City/Squat, may be visited on its own in São Paulo in April and May. Some of the projects which have been developed within the scope of Squat will then be implemented. The city of São Paulo has earmarked the equivalent of 180 million Euros to realize these projects.
In addition, the city’s urban construction department SEHAB has decided to continue its partnership with the IABR. In other words, during the spring of 2010, another location will be chosen in São Paulo which will be the subject of collective research, studies which must ultimately lead to several projects for the 5th IABR; once again, the intention is to ensure that these projects are also ultimately executed.

Open City/Reciprocity in Jakarta
In June, Open City/Reciprocity will open in Jakarta. The location chosen for the exhibit is the Erasmus Huis, the Dutch Cultural Center in the Indonesian capital which will be celebrating its 40th anniversary with this exhibition.
Thanks to Open City/Reciprocity, the results of the study conducted for Reciprocity will be "going back home," to Jakarta. In a partnership with the University of Indonesia, the project will be getting a local update. Debates, workshops and a symposium will also be organized with local and international speakers.

Projects for the Open City in Paris
From 11 January to 12 February, a selection of projects created for Parallel Cases//IABR@RDM will be on display at the École nationale supérieur d'architecture de Paris-Malaquais, in downtown Paris. Through the use of drawings, models, films and other audiovisual tools, the exhibition entitled Projects for the Open City allows teams of students and researchers from universities all over the world to present their vision of the future of the city and social cohesion in the city. Among the exhibits on display are the three projects which won the Parallel Cases Biennale Award: “Leaping the Fence: Olympic Legacy Now”, “Shoafat RC” and “Working on Cities”.

IABR as Platform, Catalyst and Intermediary
Biennale director George Brugmans views the fact that the results of the study of the 4th IABR (even after the event’s end) have enjoyed worldwide attention as a reaffirmation of the IABR’s role as a platform, catalyst and intermediary between local and global parties. "The IABR’s added value in realizing urban projects is particularly obvious in our partnership with the city of São Paulo. With our themed approach, our international research and the prestige that the IABR has enjoyed as an important exhibition, we are adding credence to projects which the city of São Paulo is developing. Via international research and expertise, elements such as quality, sustainability and social cohesion are linked to standard construction processes. This has given added value to the projects and expanded the support base for realization."