The Architectural Imagination

Opening reception: July 14, 7:30 p.m.

The Architectural Imagination is an exhibition of new speculative architectural projects designed for specific sites in Detroit but with far-reaching applications for cities around the world. It first opened to the public in the U.S. Pavilion at the 15th Venice Architecture Biennale, held May 28 – November 27, 2016, where it attracted a record-breaking 150,000 visitors to the pavilion. 

After the 2016 Venice Biennale’s closing weekend, The Architectural Imagination traveled from Venice, Italy, to Detroit. Next, it is traveling to the A+D Architecture and Design Museum in Los Angeles where it will open on July 14, 2017.

The exhibition emphasizes the importance and value of the architectural imagination in shaping forms and spaces into exciting future possibilities for all Detroit citizens. Detroit was once a center of American imagination, not only for the products it made – cars and music and much more – but also for its modern architecture and modern lifestyle, which captivated audiences worldwide. Now, like many postindustrial cities, Detroit is coping with a changed urban density and image that has generated much thinking in urban planning. 

As advocates of the power of architecture to construct culture and catalyze cities, curators Cynthia Davidson and Monica Ponce de Leon selected twelve visionary American architectural practices to produce new work that demonstrates the creativity and resourcefulness of architecture to address the social and urban issues of Detroit in the 21st century.

With generous support from Microsoft and SCI-Arc, the A+D Museum will also be hosting demonstrations of advanced HoloLens technologies, public programs including panel discussions and lectures, and student tours.

thearchitecturalimagination.org

aplusd.org/event/architectural-imagination-opening-reception