100 MAJA/HOUSES. Participation of Estonia at La Biennale di Ve

Estonian Centre of Architecture has the pleasure of inviting You to the inauguration of 100 MAJA/HOUSES Participation of Estonia at the 12th International Architecture Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia on Friday, August 27th at 4 pm at the Artiglierie dell' Arsenale. For further information please contact: Karen Jagodin, Curator [email protected] +372 52 38 113 Pille Epner, Project manager Estonian Centre of Architecture [email protected] http://arhitektuurikeskus.ee/index.php?/konverents/veneetsia-arhitektuuribiennaal-2010/ http://arhliit.ee/english/la-biennale-di-venezia-2010/ *** PRESS RELEASE Participation of Estonia at the 12th International Architecture Exhibition in Venice 100 MAJA/HOUSES The 12th International Architecture Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia, is being held in Venice, Italy, from 29 August to 21 November 2010. The curator of the exhibition, Japanese architect Kazuyo Sejima, selected ‘People meet in architecture’ as the exhibition’s overall theme. The exhibition of Estonia, going by the name 100 MAJA/HOUSES, will be opened in the Artiglierie dell’Arsenale at 16:00 on 27 August. The exhibition showcases one hundred private homes designed by Estonian architects, using a giant model, a slide programme and video. The underlying idea of the exhibit is to promote local creative talent in architecture through a very narrow field. One of the aspects that makes Estonia stand out compared to other European countries is the attitude that prevails in private home architecture of preferring unique creations. Professional publications in the country often refer to private homes as the “mark of quality of Estonian architecture”. One of the goals in preparing the Estonian pavilion for the exhibition was to highlight the ratio of ‘catalogue homes’ and private homes constructed on the basis of unique designs: it is thought that as few as 10% of the private homes built in the country are of the catalogue variety. Of the remaining 90%, a considerable number are representative of the finest qualities in the art of construction. The exhibit is accompanied by a 250-page catalogue, boasting a wealth of picture material and including texts about the one hundred homes selected. The exhibition is created by architect Kalle Vellevoog, interior designer Tiiu Truus, graphic designer Martin Pedanik and architectural scientist Karen Jagodin. Participation of Estonia at the 12th International Architecture Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia, is organised by the Estonian Centre of Architecture, co-organised by the Union of Estonian Architects and supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Estonia.