Australia's shortlist of 2016 Venice Biennale pavilion proposals

There's still quite a ways to go before the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale. For starters, Australia recently announced the shortlisted design concepts for their 2016 national exhibition pavilion. The pavilion itself is designed by Denton Corker Marshall.

Following the Stage Two presentations to the Venice Biennale Commission chaired by Immediate Past President Paul Berkemeier, the following concepts were selected:

• POST – John de Manincor, Sandra Kaji-O’Grady and Misho Baranovic
• The Pool – Aileen Sage and Michelle Tabet
• Parlour Live! – Justine Clark and Naomi Stead with Maryam Gusheh, Catherine Griffiths and Fiona Young
• Wide Open – Ed Lippmann, Dr Anne Watson, Susan Freeman and Michael Hill
• Objects – Andrew Burns and Mark Gowing

Hang tight for the announcement of the winning concept and the pavilion's Creative Director on April 21 during events in Sydney and Melbourne.

Check out the shortlist below.

POST – John de Manincor, Sandra Kaji-O’Grady and Misho Baranovic

"Inverting the Tower of Babel, POST explores the notion that in the modern age ambitious architectural projects bring people together from around the world rather than scattering them to the ends of the earth as expressed in the legend.  POST will feature an immersive architectural installation that brings together photographs and soundscapes from architects, clients, builders, construction workers and users sourced through social media. The exhibition will reveal the creation of communities, the forging of relationships and the generation of new knowledge that comes from working on and using buildings designed by Australian practices."

Parlour Live! – Justine Clark and Naomi Stead with Maryam Gusheh, Catherine Griffiths and Fiona Young

"Parlour Live! is a contemporary snapshot of the human story of Australian architecture – a powerful documentation of who the profession is, how it works and how it might become more robust and inclusive.  Parlour Live! will give every Australian architect the chance to have their 15 seconds of fame. It will challenge the perception and stereotypes of who can be an architect through the collection of tiny ‘real’ architects and their individual stories.  Australia is a leader in the campaign for equity in architecture and Parlour Live! will use this position to empower visitors with the knowledge, the resolve and the practical tools for advocacy and action anywhere in the world."

Objects – Andrew Burns and Mark Gowing

"Objects puts the focus on the by-products of architectural production rather than the built outcome. This exhibition will feature the physical forms of knowledge created through the process of realising a building, exposing a tapestry of Australian architectural practice.  Construction drawings, site photographs, material prototypes, jigs, discarded templates and pre-cast form-work will be sourced from practices around the nation and curated to provide an engaging, distinct experience within an exhibition context."

The Pool – Aileen Sage and Michelle Tabet

"The pool is a social and cultural icon of Australia. The proposed exhibition is an architectural exploration of the democratic, social and sacred principles of this universal and ancient typology. Pooling together the new and emerging voices of Australian architecture, The Pool will feature one immutable pool element, expanded through the use of light, mirror, glass and perspective to create a series of perceptual illusions, augmented by the use of sound, light and smell – a sensory feast for the visitor.  The pool is an apt metaphor for this team’s vision for Australian architecture: an architecture that is driven by plurality yet is accessible, inviting, playful and collaborative."

Wide Open – Ed Lippmann, Dr Anne Watson, Susan Freeman and Michael Hill

"A space to relax and absorb, Wide Open will be an audio and visual experience depicting the chronological development of Australian architecture, an architecture which is emerging with its own identity out of many and disparate influences.  Still and moving images will take the visitor on a journey through our enviable landscape, climate and lifestyle while providing a confident cultural statement on this world stage. Visitors will experience 250 years of radical architectural transformation from pre-European to a 21st century global culture."

You can check out some of the 2014 pavilions here.