The boundaries of representation of architecture and art in public space, international architecture biennial

Abstract

The physical environment generates myriad of values and comprises various connotations. These values and connotations, which are directly or indirectly represented by the output, generate a sampling area to understand the production and consumption forms of the physical environment, of its cultural, social and economic priorities and contextual relations. Therefore, architecture is utilized as a tool to understand the historical transformations and relations in various disciplinary fields while architectural criticism tries to understand the architectural building process and its outcome by exceeding its professional boundaries and observing the relationships between different disciplines and architectures. Literature, art, philosophy, politics are alternative means of expression, which complement architectural criticism. In this context, architectural biennials perform as periodical discussion platforms, which perform as an alternative space for the criticism and documentation of the current issues of architectural production and its most dire problems through a selection of works under a certain theme. The works exhibited at the biennial use different tools of narration in various disciplinary bases in addition to architecture itself, and therefore create an environment for generating content and values with multiple inputs for discussions as well as concepts defining the architectural outcome. In this paper, it aimed to discuss and evaluate the accumulation of works exhibited at the biennial with various contextual and conceptual arguments and interpretations, and the boundaries of functionalization of biennial exhibitions as a platform for architecture criticism.