RIBOCA 1
"Change is a constant and imperceptible process. Nothing remains the same and yet it often feels as if things are fixed, solid certainties. [...] Our world seems to be ever accelerating. [...] The 1st Riga Biennial will reflect on the phenomenon of change – how it is anticipated, experienced, grasped, assimilated and dealt with at this time of accelerated transitions..."
- Katerina Gregos, Chief curator, 1st Riga Biennial
Permanence
Temporality
The change of perception and attitude towards the passage of time becomes evident in architecture through the common use of technologies and materials. Whereas once the longevity of a building was almost unquestioned - buildings were designed to stand forever - increasingly more often issues such as speed, flexibility and temporality come to the forefront. The apparent lightness of such an approach is facilitated by technological advances that silently have changed the way how the spaces surrounding us are formed.
Our proposal seeks to embed the contemporary sense of temporality in the physical presence of the biennale. Typical aluminum drywall construction frames are exposed creating the necessary conditions for momentarily exhibiting artworks in buildings that have been originally intended for other purposes. A series of variated spaces are shaped to explicitly fit the respective artwork. These spaces are carved out of a "mass" of standard drywall aluminum studs.
Location: Riga, Latvia
Curator: Riga International Biennial of Contemporary Art
Architecture: GAISS
Team: Kārlis Melzobs, Arnita Melzoba
Year: 2018