People Meet in Architecture
12th International Architecture Exhibition, August 29th–November 21st, 2010

Curator: Kazuyo Sejima
Text: György Szegő
Photos: Tamás Bujnovszky, György Szegő

The slogan suggested by the chief trustee – „ People meet in architecture” – is a trivial one. It may well be interpreted as narrowly as the meeting of architects from all over the world. However, we can also see it as follows: our earthly existence is defined and framed by an
overconstructed artificial environment nowadays which as a result increases the responsibility of the architectural practicism. Meanwhile our civilization is actually a fragile one suffering from manipulated consumerism, the damages caused by growth fetish and an authentic
architecture could mean a turning point in compulsive constructions. It is a small step: in the Arsenale we are missing many stars who had been present here repeatedly – the only exception being Rem Koolhaas awarded now a special prize for his oeuvre. The selection on display here is thus dryer and poorer even if Wim Wenders’ Sejima-film is a sensation.

In the Beginning There Was the LineBorderline Architecture / Hungarian Pavillion

The „ Hungarian pavillion, which is difficult to use” welcomes us with a maze of light-lines.There is a pencil hanging from the end of light staples (strings) drawing a dense raster.We can see in vivo (film) and in vitro (exhibition) drawings by invited architects – bothHungarian and international ones – through the grille of light. They present the unbelievablymany-layered and differentiated potentials which was the topic of the high-standard lecturedelivered by the Hungarian/American Péter Magyar at the inauguration ceremony. We mayas well believe him as he was analyzing the intellectual-spiritual contents hidden in masterlydrawings in his two volumes only referred to here.Watching the films projected here from the pencil-maze cave of Plato’ s ideas: there arearchitects who obviously appear to enjoy „ the line” . And there are others whose hands we areto follow if wishing to experience the richness of their various forms of expression.