Exploration and research process developed towards the Venice Architecture Biennale, weaving together exhibition, lectures, and workshops
A research-based exploration and curatorial approach to Iceland's cultural landscape, inspired by the cycles of sheep, the craft of wool, and the communal art of knitting, together with workshops, lectures, and exhibition pieces, highlights the connections between land and collective creation, emphasizing the dialogue between nature, community practices, and cultural and crafted expression
Framed within the main curatorial theme of the Venice Architecture Biennale, Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective., the series of events and exhibitions proposed by the Icelandic Nordscape Lab at the Speakers’ Corner in the Arsenale, as part of the GENS Public Program, explored Iceland’s landscape as a primary focus, highlighting its collective cultural identity and fragile natural heritage.
The initiative has been developed by academic members of the Faculty of Planning & Design at the Agricultural University of Iceland (AUI), bringing together research, craft, and community engagement.
The Speakers’ Corner, an amphitheater integrated into the Arsenale’s exhibition area, is designed to foster dialogue, exchange, and collaboration, with a primary function as a gathering and presentation venue.
In our proposal, the space is enhanced as a canvas for displaying patterns of the Icelandic landscape, represented in the handmade wool cushions, while engaging directly with the amphitheater’s spatial qualities
—its openness, stepped seating, and adaptable layout—and reinforcing the connection between collective creation, craft, and site-specific experience.
The production process was conceived as a tribute to Iceland’s landscape and the traditional role of sheep and wool within it.
For the exhibition, wool pieces and cushions were crafted, responding directly to the cultural landscape of Iceland and the spatial characteristics of the amphitheater. The patterns were inspired by volcanic formations, mountains, snowfields, rivers, and traditional turf-built structures, as well as the region’s rich biodiversity, including birds, salmon, sheep, reindeer, and horses.
These landscape patterns interlace cultural practices with natural environments, creating a shared material expression that reflects the connection between human creativity and landscape.
The project unfolded in several stages: visiting farms and weaving workshops, collecting raw wool and plants historically used for dyeing, and working with traditional knitting techniques.
This hands-on approach generated the exhibition pieces while establishing a collective engagement with the cultural and natural heritage of Iceland, translating field experience into a tactile and interactive exhibition.
Through workshops, lectures, and the exhibition itself, the initiative highlighted the connections between land, craft, and collective creation, emphasizing a dialogue between nature, community practices, and cultural and crafted expression.
The project reflects on Icelandic cultural and environmental identity at the intersection of knowledge, craft, and collaborative exploration, offering participants and visitors an immersive experience of both process and material outcome.
credits:
Curatorial & Exhibition Design: Ivan Juarez
Team | Icelandic Nordcscape Lab: Ivan Juarez, Helena Guttormsdóttir, and Daniele Stefàno
knitters: Hafdís Jóhannsdóttir, from Ullarselið - Wool Centre | Hvanneyri
Edda and Dísa from Skessuprjón
Felting wool: Chenxin Feng
Curator Biennale Architettura Venezia: Carlo Ratti and GENS team of the Curator Speakers Corners
Special thanks go to all those who contributed to the realization of the exhibition, to the visitors who engaged with it, to the Biennale’s curatorial team, and to AUI University for their support and collaboration.