“Together with our collaborator, Hugh Campbell, we asked sixteen contemporary practicing architect teams to research one selected building, each of which was chosen by us. Close Encounter calls on the generosity of each of the invited architects to ‘take’ the work of another architect and help it to be remembered, understood, re-valued and appreciated for its own inherent worth”
Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara, Curators, Venice Biennale 2018
Curated by Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara, Close Encounter: Meetings with Remarkable Buildings was presented at the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale as part of the FREESPACE exhibition in the Central Pavilion. With the support of the Arts Council of Ireland, sixteen Irish architectural practices were commissioned to respond to significant buildings of the curators’ choosing. The works are unique pieces that take a defined work of architecture as their starting point to explore the ways in which creative interpretation can allow for new forms to evolve. The experience of moving among these different forms allows for an understanding of the ingenuity and plurality of contemporary Irish architecture.
