Architectural photographer Andrew Latreille, a Melbourne native based in Vancouver, has just returned from Venice for the launch of the architectural exhibition of the 2018 Venice Biennale (running now through November 25th).
The exhibition features a selection of photographs from Latreille’s exhibit THEN and NOW, which pairs photographs, made in Vancouver and the Yukon, that illustrate stories of the making of architecture, showing moments in construction, and moments when the architecture is complete.
You can see the stunning photographs — including one of new Vancouver House being built that you won’t soon forget (you may even seek out this view for yourself) — in his photo gallery here.
Latreille noted to Price Tags the variety of architects, artists, photographers and academics from all around the world participating in the Biennale. “Feedback from those in Venice was fantastic and very supportive of the notions highlighted in my photography and of the architecture being designed here in Vancouver.”
Of special note is the Palazzo Mora, where THEN and NOW is housed; a 400 year old building with uneven terrazzo flooring and an exposed beam ceiling, the perfect location, perhaps, for visitors to contemplate ideas of time, space and existence in relation to architecture and the spaces they inhabit on a day to day basis.
“I’ve always been interested in how this process of making architecture is intertwined with the future of our cities, their societies, and economies,” continues Latreille. “The existence of the process juxtaposed with the finality of a completed project is what I am continually exploring and wanted to bring to the audience in Venice.”
“My experience at the Biennale showed me I’m not alone in my desire to uncover the journey of a building’s design and construction. The way spaces and light in architecture change during the process of its making is an element of the craft we’re all experiencing.”
Some other thoughts from Andrew below; be sure to also check out this video on this captivating topic, featuring Kitsilano’s Rough House.
21st Century society is captivated by knowing where things come from and or how things are made. I’d go as far as calling it the 21st C craft movement. We shop at farmers markets, order handmade products on etsy over something mass produced, care about free trade, craft beer, the 100 mile diet, etc etc.
People want confidence and authenticity in their life. But they don’t take this into understanding the spaces the live or work in.
In this manner Then and Now brings the making of Architecture to the fore. It asks people to rethink these spaces and to question how they were made, and who or how many people made them.
