“Calle di Vetro” Biennale 1996
A path through the trees of the exhibition gardens
The relationship between the space of a Venetian “calle” (the city’s typical narrow streets) and that of a display window is subverted to channel public flows and allow nature to be observed from a new vantage point. The new entrance to the Gardens at the Venice Biennale is a long transparent route that envelops a portion of outdoor space by isolating it in a sort of original display case. This delimited and functional physical space refers to an urban typology characteristic of Venice – the calle – reinvented here through a relationship of interaction with the natural setting of the Gardens. The landscape enters the calle through a set of glass walls. It is expanded and dilated through the proposal of an unusual form of ‘commercial’ entertainment that includes the exhibition of books and gadgets. In the limited fraction of time it takes to cross this space, a twofold function optimises the space and time of its users, offering cultural stimuli and opportunities for shopping.
