Glass Labyrinth in Venice

Dhaka-based architect Kashef Chowdhury has become renowned for his work that responds with great sensitivity to places, local circumstances, and the demands of a building's users. His installation in Venice at the 2016 International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale challenged spatial perceptions by making the labyrinth transparent. The labyrinth was conceived as an expression of the anxiety the artist experiences in his work due to a myriad of uncertainties. This new book explores and documents the installation with beautiful photographs by Eric Chenal and an illuminating text by Robert McCarter.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 80 pages
Publication date: 30 May 2018
Publisher: Park Books

Over the past years, architect Kashef Chowdhury has gained recognition for a body of work that exhibits remarkable sensitivity to the places, local circumstances, and the needs of building users. At the 2016 International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale, Chowdhury showcased four recent projects his firm URBANA has realized in Bangladesh in a captivating exhibition he designed with equal sensitivity and care. The labyrinth, an ancient space of intrigue, discovery, and accident, has long fascinated architects throughout history. For his installation in Venice, Chowdhury challenged spatial perceptions with a simple twist: the labyrinth, which traditionally hides and obstructs, is suddenly made transparent. While there is an obvious reference to Venetian glass, the labyrinth retains or even accentuates a sense of spatial disorientation. The installation was conceived not merely as a hyper-maze but rather as an expression of the anxiety the artist experiences in his work due to the myriad uncertainties involved. From design to construction, funding to maintenance, the part of the world where URBANA chiefly works presents challenges at every turn, and it is within this milieu that an architect must operate with unwavering resolve. Chowdhury's Glass Labyrinth in Venice appears to convey the notion that, while an architect may have a clear vision of what they want to achieve, the path to accomplishing that in the environment they operate in is fraught with perplexing barriers. This new book delves into and documents Kashef Chowdhury's intriguing installation in Venice through beautiful photographs by Eric Chenal and an enlightening text by Robert McCarter.

Weight: 586g
Dimension: 201 x 282 x 9 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783038600831