20 May – 26 November 2023, _docks_cantieri cucchini

A Fragile Correspondence

The  Scotland + Venice partnership is delighted to announce that A Fragile Correspondence is one of the collateral events for the 18th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia at the Arsenale Docks, S. Pietro di Castello, Venice. Curated by the Architecture Fringe, -ism, and /other, A Fragile Correspondence responds to Biennale curator Lesley Lokko’s theme of The Laboratory of the Future.

About the Exhibition

Team image by Matthew Arthur Williams. The creative team – from left to right: Amy McEwan, Aoife Nolan, Carl Jonsson, Neil McGuire, Mia Pinder-Hussein, Kristina Enberg, Alissar Riachi, Alyesha Choudhury and Andy Summers. Representing each collective is: Neil McGuire and Andy Summers for the Architecture Fringe, Kristina Enberg, Amy McEwan, Aoife Nolan, Alissar Riachi for ism magazine, and Alyesha Choudhury, Carl C.Z. Jonsson and Mia Pinder-Hussein for /other (pronounced: slash other).

Representatives of Architecture Fringe, ism magazine and slash other stand in a high ceilinged, light filled room

A creative team consisting of the Architecture Fringe, ism and /other has been invited to prepare a project for the International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia in 2023

Commissioned by the Scotland + Venice Partnership The  Scotland + Venice partnership is delighted to announce it has commissioned a creative team consisting of the Architecture Fringe, ism and /other to develop new work. Read more

A Fragile Correspondence to return to Scotland after successful run at La Biennale di Venezia

Photograph of the exhibition with a blurry person walking through the space

A Fragile Correspondence – Work on display in Loch Ness section – photo by Daniele Sambo

A Fragile Correspondence will return to Scotland in November 2024 where it will be showcased at V&A Dundee after its May to November run this year in Venice. Commissioned by the Scotland + Venice partnership and curated by a creative team consisting of the Architecture Fringe, -ism magazine, and /other, A Fragile Correspondence has run from 20 May to 26 November 2023 at _docks_cantieri cucchini, as part of the 18th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia. Read more

Atlantic Assemblages

A photograph of some birch trees in ceramic pots, which are all displayed in front of a turquois blue wall.

Birch trees of Ravenscraig – work on display in the Ravenscraig section of A Fragile Correspondence. Photo by Daniele Sambo.

After an Open Call asking artists and writers for a creative promotional response to the themes of A Fragile Correspondence, Harvey Dimond was commissioned to write the below creative response. This three-part text considers how colonialism has shaped the natural ecologies of Scotland, South Africa and Barbados, and considers their historic and contemporary resonances from a diasporic perspective. Read more

Abundant Nectar

A close-up photograph of artwork in the exhibition that is made out of golden yellow material and thread.

A close-up of the work by Raghnaid Sandilands in the Loch Ness section of A Fragile Correspondence. Photo by Alyesha Choudhury.

After an Open Call asking artists and writers for a creative promotional response to the themes of A Fragile Correspondence, Harper Walton was commissioned to write the below poem, which explores the geographically distinct areas of Highland, Island and Lowland as queer spaces through a transgender and non-binary lens. Read more

Found in Translation: Architecture, Land, Landscape, Language

A group of people sit and listen to a woman reading from a sheet of paper.

Photo credit: Robb Mcrae.

The Scotland + Venice | Found in Translation: Architecture, Land, Landscape, Language event on 14 October brought together presentations from the Austrian Pavilion, Orizzontale (from Rome, exhibiting within the Arsenale), Dualchas, A Fragile Correspondence, the Lithuanian Pavilion and Scottish author Cal Flyn. Read more

Island Time

A photograph of the work in display in the Orkney section of A Fragile Correspondence.

A Fragile Correspondence, work on display in the Orkney Section. Photo: Daniele Sambo

The frequency of an island sounds different from that of the mainland; and in conversation with the rhythms of the sky and sea, Orcadians live in conjunction with the water that they are surrounded by and in response to its temperament - floods, rain, and storms. Read more

Erasure of contemporary landscapes

A close up photo of a white architectural model of what Ravenscraig could look like in the future, featuring model trees and people.

Model (detail) of a potential future for Ravenscraig site. Photo by Daniele Sambo.

In response to A Fragile Correspondence, journalist Diyora Shadijanova visits the site of Ravenscraig and considers its past, present and potential future. Wikipedia describes Ravenscraig as a "village" and a "new town", but when I travel there one sunny afternoon, it's all roads and roundabouts breaking vast areas of greenery fenced off for future construction. Read more

Land ownership, cultural identity, and sustainability

A photograph of a section of an exhibition, featuring boards of text and images and a screen showing videos of the Loch Ness landscape.

A Fragile Correspondence, display in Loch Ness section. Photo: Daniele Sambo

In response to A Fragile Correspondence, Eilidh Akilade explores land ownership - imagined, formal, and otherwise. Centring around the Isle of Lewis, the piece looks to the island’s history, familial encounters with the natural landscape, and the Gaelic language. Read more

PDP Reflections: Maxwell Wilson

Maxwell Wilson formed part of the Professional Development Programme, during the summer. From Lhanbryde, Moray, he was a Stage 6 student at the Scott Sutherland School of Architecture in Aberdeen, graduating in July. Read more