Photo courtesy of Andrea Sottana ©

Archrival was selected as 1 of 6 teams to exhibit at the Australian Pavilion for the 13th Venice International Architecture Biennale in 2012. Our installation Arena Calcetto formed part of the Australian exhibition entitled Formations; New Practices in Australian Architecture, curated by Anthony Burke & Gerard Reinmuth with Toko Concept Design. 

description
Arena Calcetto is a site-specific sculptural installation located in a hidden courtyard in the Giardini, bound by the Australian, French, Czech & Slovak and Uruguayan national pavilions. The interactive arena is formed by a ring of tall timber structures, where people could meet, play and hold events.

concept
The arena is a space where new connections can be made, between the Biennale's collaborators, exhibitors and audience.  The sculptural terrain houses a playful twist -  a series of 5 beautifully made custom fussball tables. These architectural objects offer both a playful program and a new level of interaction within the vast Biennale exhibition.

context
The Biennale of Venice is an exponentially expanding event and the scale of the exhibition requires endurance from its audience, with over 60 installations and 55 separate national exhibitions represented in 2012. Assuming visitors reserve 2 days to experience the Biennale, this allows only minutes to absorb each work. Archrival's response to this potent context of rivalry and an over-saturation of ideas was to create a site-specific work that challenges the territorial nature of the Giardini and provides an antidote to the demanding nature of the exhibition. Arena Calcetto provides a neutral outdoor 'venue' and a palette cleanser which gives the audience the rare opportunity to touch, interact with and become a critical part of the live installation.

global workshop
Global Workshop was a collaborative sub-project of Arena Calcetto, calling for the creation of the custom fussball players for the tables. This workshop displays the vast effort of a series of design, engineering and fabrication teams to make uniquely individual fussball teams. Artists, designers, architects and other creative 'makers' were invited to participate in this experimental worldwide worskshop, to create a series of unique objects that were exhibited as a ceritical part of the Arena Calcetto. Click here to find out more.

sponsors
Arena Calcetto was made possible by a large number of designers, fabricators and supporters. Find out more about the design team and sponsors here

See more Arena Calcetto project images here