Yael Eylat Van-Essen PhD – Curator / Researcher

The LifeObject exhibition, exhibited in the Israeli Pavilion at the Venice Bienalle for Architecture in 2016, revolved around the biological paradigm that has been attracting increasing interest in the field of contemporary architecture. From the nano-scale of individual cells to larger global environmental phenomena and from materials to the resulting structures and urban spaces they create, the exhibition examines new relations taking shape between human beings and their environment. The new methodologies derived from the interface between the two disciplines discard the binary distinction between nature and culture, positioning architectural construction as part of a larger ecosystem. LifeObject stems from a material perception of the world that embodies an affinity towards nature, both in its ontological sense and by the ethical issues and moral questions it reflects in human life.

The aim of LifeObject is to constitute a platform for dialogue between architecture and science as a formative process in Israeli space. As such, it operates on a scale which supersedes the dimensions of the display. LifeObject is based on interdisciplinary research that investigates future directions in architectural practice, in order to more effectively broach mechanisms of formation and performativity and to examine new approaches to architectural materiality.  The exhibition joins biomimetic practices together with practices of bio fabrication and synthetic biology, a basis for proposing speculative architectural scenarios related to ecology, sociology, and politics at various sites in Israel. Some of these proposals can be actualized, while others constitute new visions for the future.

At the center of the exhibition is the physical LifeObject, a research installation that integrates artificial and natural elements into an organic system based on an analysis of a bird’s nest. An experimental research approach to matter combines composite, smart, and biological materials to form a “living structure” that responds to its environment. It proposes a new way of thinking about systems of architectural production that operate simultaneously according to coded and random principles, a cross product of advanced technology and crafted fabrication.

The conceptual foundation of the LifeObject exhibition centers upon resilience, an essential element of biological systems that refers to their ability to cope with shock or trauma. This concept has increased significance for Israel and its geo-political context, where states of crisis continually arise, greatly influencing quality of life and spatial design.

A conceptual envelope for the exhibition is a biological-architectural phrasebook that pairs biological concepts alongside their architectural equivalents, and serves as a tagging system spread throughout the exhibition.

Photos by Dacian Groza