The (Temporary) Cuban Pavilion existed at the Venice architectural Biennale, for a short time in 2006. On Monday 16th October, the French Pavilion, which was called METAVILLA, was turned into the Cuban Pavilion with full permission and support from curator Patrick Bouchain and all invited participants who were living and working out of the space during the ResidentMETA workshop. A letter was written and signed by various people and copies sent to groups in Cuba seeking any possible participation. A rough map outline of the island of Cuba was marked out on the gravel area in front of the French Pavilion, over time a structure was built around this. Maps of the edited area were printed and distributed to people inside the Biennale area and outside to the public, people were invited to attend a special Cuban night at Metavilla that night with music and film. That night a documentary was shown using the walls of the temp pavilion to take a screen and the steps of the British pavilion as a fine outdoor seated cinema, the film that was shown was “How Cuba survived peak oil, the power of community” (See end of this post to watch it).
Edited Biennale map:
Letter from Venice to Cuba:
Memories of a (Temporary) Cuban Pavilion at the Venice architectural Biennale 2006:
Transcript of Letter to people of Cuba:
Cuba Day – Mon 16th October 2006
Dear People of Cuba, Fidel Castro, and Government Representatives,
Greetings from Metavilla! We are operating from the French Pavilion at the 10th Architectural Biennale of Venice. This years themes is “Cities, architecture and society”. Our international collective of architects, artists, independent media workers, filmmakers, computer engineers, and musicians is exploring in real time the nature of our individual and collective roles in the making of urban environments.
Several Cuban nationals have visited our pavilion and shared with us their insights on the themes of this years biennale. Seeing that Cuba is unfortunately absent from this international exhibition, we decided to design a Cuban pavilion on behalf of the people of Cuba.
Today is Cuba Day and the Cuba Pavilion is now officially open. It is dedicated to expressing our admiration and love for the country and people of Cuba. We would like to continue your example in providing a solution for sustainable living.
As we have opened this Cuba Pavilion, without official recognition or support, we are now seeking direct input from you, the people and government agencies of Cuba, to help us fully express the role Cuba is playing in the development of our society.
We have the technological menas available to make Cuba an active participant in this international exhibition. Please help us make the Cuba Pavilion a strong presence here by sending information related to our theme, and also pictures, writing, film documents, and other media, which we will be shown in the pavilion, thereby widening an open critical dialogue which we believe is crucial to the development of our world.
Sincerely yours,
“How Cuba survived peak oil, the power of community” – Documentary shown at Cuba Pavilion 2006 at Venice Bienale:
Metavilla 2006:
What happens when a 5 story pirate ship lands on an old neo classical building in an Italian park.. METAVILLA:
Dunk, 1 des pirates de METAVILLA
ALLEZ LES PIRATES…
An Irish eco dude in Brazil 