Escaping from Las Vegas

Introduction. A Carnival mask. During  the last Century many masters of modern architecture have done projects for Venice. Those projects have never been built due to an ultra conservative vision, which has preserved the city, but at the same time has denied its true nature. Venice is still celebrating its past time.

Contemporary Architecture in Venice is always locked inside the walls of old buidings, like in Punta della Dogana by Tadao Ando or the Querini Stampalia by Carlo Scarpa. Apart from the architectures in the Biennale, which is yet an exibithion, it cannot show its image to the public. The controversial bridge by Santiago Calatrava was an important intervention beacause it highlights the problem of the relationship between a modern architecture and the ancient city. This is a problem that in Venice tends to be hidden behind a mask .

This covering and suffocating mask is a permanent one, it does not leave when the Carnival ends. The mask is showing to the world a Las Vegas style image of the city that has become stronger than the city itself.

We want to stop this process in order to avoid the complete stereotypization of Venice. Venice must not be as turists expect it to be, it should be a discovery, a “città” which is still interesting. We want a city for travellers, not for tourists. The city should not be just a scenario for giant cruise ships, but it should be lived.

We imagine that contemporary architecture can save Venice from its death.

Remember! The pitoresque Venice that we are used to seeing nowadays was once contemporary itself.

The Story.

Venezia 1980 The teatro del Mondo leaves the lagoon. Venezia 2011

The giant wooden wings by Massimo Scolari, which have been observing the city since 1991 from the roof of the Architecture Faculty IUAV, are waken up to launch an S.O.S.

They  start flying in order to find help from the lost and never built projects that truly know the nature of Venice, and are now hidden in the folds of history.

The adventure starts in Dubrovnik, where and old friend rests, the Teatro del Mondo by Aldo Rossi. After long hours of conversation he decides to join the challenge.

Now, through the skies and the Sevens Seas they are looking for more forces for the incoming battle.

Three hundred miles south of Athens, under the sea, they found the Hospital of Venice by Le Corbusier. In the desert of Jordan, near the ancient ruins of a roman city, they dig out the the sand the Palazzo dei Congressi by Louis Kahn. In the coasts of Spain lies the IUAV building by Enric Miralles. The Masieri Memorial finally rises from a forest in Japan.

Now the entire fleet is going to save Venice.

Epilogue.

Venice, sorrounded and protected by the floating buildings, navigates towards the final battle against the mask that is covering her Forma Urbis.

The souls of the Masters will watch the epic battle from a hot air balloon, hoping the final victory of Architecture.