Venice Biennale, Swiss Pavilion

Text: Péter Haba

Viamala Bridges, 1739, 1938

The exhibition at the Swiss Pavillion of the 12th International Architecture Exhibition in Venice is meant to find new answers to old questions. Famous for his virtuosic engineering achievements, Jürg Conzett architect and Martin Linsi photographer collected structures belonging to the transportation network embracing the whole country but because of their intertwining with forms of the natural terrain they go beyond the technical-functional necessities. Rich in high mountains and heady abysses, Switzerland has an architecture in which bridges, tunnels, crossovers, overpasses and underpasses play a key role – however, the creators did not stick to the traditional metaphorical-symbolical interpretations but started a complex study to reveal the hidden characteristics of the individual examples and factual situations: the microworld of the location at issue that is unmistakable as well as the way of thinking with which the designer adjusted to it or quite the contrary, resisted it.