First in Venice and Rotterdam, and then in Oslo, Istanbul and Lisbon – 2016 was a year full of ennials—be they biennials or triennials; a year in which Europe will be as if in a continuous loop, a geography of temporary territories. These large-scale events will expose the architecture community to a wealth of ideas on different topics. But what is all this about? What place does the emerging discourse occupy? Will it redefine and expand the field of architecture? Will it have a real impact on our cities?

Even if they constitute an established cycle of repetition, these are more than isolated points on the map; they interact in temporary – both geographic and intellectual territories. They foster the transfer of ideas and generate new exchanges within the profession. In other words: they are far from innocence.

The ennials operate as nerve centres; they change sites and architectural players, while striving to provide a forum for new places and new people. Linking these nerve centres in a continuous loop could provide one way to assess the current status of this phenomenon in architecture. Taking the key notions of “front”, “belonging”, and “form”, as proposed by Venice, Oslo and Lisbon as their starting points, this cycle of three debates will reflect on the challenges facing architecture and the real and fictional configurations of this type of event.

Debates

Front

27 May, 3.00pm, Venice Architecture Biennale
Nordic Pavilion (Giardini)
Abdelkader Damani (DZ) – Director, FRAC Orléans
David Basulto (CL) and James Taylor-Foster (UK) – Curator and Assistant Curator, 2016 Nordic Pavilion
Martino Stierli (CH) – Philip Johnson Chief Curator, MoMA

Belonging

10 September, Oslo Architecture Triennale
Hege Maria Eriksson (NO) – Former Director, Oslo Architecture Triennale
José Mateus (PT) – Chairman, Lisbon Architecture Triennale
Sarah Herda (US) – Director, Graham Foundation

Form

11 December, 8.00pm Lisbon Architecture Triennale
Teatro Nacional D. Maria II
André Tavares (PT) – Chief Curator, Lisbon Architecture Triennale
Beatriz Colomina (ES) and Mark Wigley (NZ) – Curators, Istanbul Design Biennale
Marina Otero Verzier (Chief Curator, with the After Belonging Agency, Oslo Architecture Triennale)

Curators
Léa-Catherine Szacka
Rute Figueiredo

Participants
Abdelkader Damani
After Belonging Agency
André Tavares
Beatriz Colomina
David Basulto
Hege Maria Eriksson
James Taylor-Foster
José Mateus
Marina Otero Verzier
Mark Wigley
Martino Stierli
Pippo Ciorra
Sarah Herda