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Monica Ponce de Leon
A display on another continent is sparking discussions and debate about the future of Detroit.
Louis Aguilar of the Detroit News writes that the Venice Architecture Biennale 2016, which got underway on Saturday, is considered the Oscars of the architecture world — an international showcase of the best in contemporary design. Detroit is the sole focus of the United States’ entry.
Aguilar reports:
At the U.S. Pavilion, a building in a sprawling Napoleonic-era park, 12 re-imagined models of four Detroit locations debuted Saturday to scores of journalists and thousands of industry professionals from around the world. The sites include the former Packard Plant, the U.S. Post Office on Fort Street, and vacant spaces in Mexicantown and the Dequindre Cut area.
The exhibit’s grand visions stirred some concern that under-represented Detroiters would be left out of plans for the city’s future. A group called Detroit Resists formed specifically to protest the city’s Biennale entry.
On Thursday afternoon, record producer and activist Bryce Detroit stood in front of a crowd outside the Dutch Pavilion and warned of the dangers of gentrification in the Motor City. According to his social media accounts, the artist came to Venice to support Detroit Resists and emphasize that grassroots involvement is key to the city’s resurgence. His message: “Don’t let anyone tell you that Detroit is a blank slate.”
But certainly not all see the exhibit, “The Architectural Imagination," that way.
“Our main goal is to generate multiple conversations about public space and public life in post-industrial cities,” said Monica Ponce de Leon, one of the Detroit show's curators, who was dean of University of Michigan’s Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning when she began working on the Biennale exhibit, the News reports. She is now dean of Princeton University’s School of Architecture.