Exhibitions
Water Parliaments: rethinking the future through architecture
A proposal for the Venice Architecture Biennale that explores the crucial role of water in building sustainable solutions.
On May 8, the Catalonia in Venice space inaugurates a new proposal for the Venice Architecture Biennale . The project, entitled Water Parliaments, is an investigation into the essential role of water in the construction of a sustainable future. This work, curated by Eva Franch , Mireia Luzárraga and Alejandro Muiño , will be on view until November 23 as part of the Eventi Collaterali of the 19th International Architecture Exhibition , and proposes a collective reflection on how the water crisis affects our present and future.
The Institut Ramon Llull, which has produced and organized the participation of Catalonia and the Balearic Islands in the Venice Biennale since 2012, ensures that this presence in the international arena has been key to making known the strength of Catalan and Balearic architecture through initiatives such as Water Parliaments. At the Architecture Biennale, the IRL highlights the importance of rethinking water management at a time of environmental crisis, as indicated by Pere Almeda, director of the IRL, who emphasizes that it is urgent to explore new forms of intelligence for sustainability.
Alejandro Muiño, Eva Franch i Mireia Luzárraga.
This edition of the Architecture Biennial, directed by the Italian Carlo Ratti , focuses on the theme Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective., a challenge to explore the connections between new technologies and our daily lives. Eva Franch, Mireia Luzárraga and Alejandro Muiño are committed to an interdisciplinary approach to dealing with the water crisis. Franch stresses that, beyond being a resource for consumption, water is a fundamental element in the configuration of architecture and daily life. Through Water Parliaments, the team wants to put on the table how architecture can play an active role when designing responses to this global challenge. For Luzárraga, the objective is to focus on the reality of the Catalan-speaking, Balearic and Valencian lands, with the desire to export the solutions on a more global scale. Muiño, for his part, emphasizes the importance of working from an intersectional vision, which integrates different disciplines to imagine sustainable and democratic futures.
Laboratoris de Futurs, Eva Franch i Gilabert, Mireia Luzárraga, Alejandro Muiño, 2025. Foto: Xavi Garcia Martinez. Cortesia Water Parliaments ©
The project, which is divided into several parts, presents the Futures Laboratories, where more than 100 people from different fields have been involved, from scientists to farmers, activists and artists. These laboratories, held in recent months in various locations in Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and the Valencian Community, are the basis for the ideas exhibited at the Biennale. The aim has been to collect local knowledge to imagine new strategies to address climate change. In Venice, the installation will be displayed in two sections. The first will present short videos that document the research carried out, while the second shows speculative prototypes of future architectures. These installations aim to create an immersive experience, with fog effects and audiovisual supports that enhance the dialogue between architecture, nature and technology.
Laboratoris de Futurs, Eva Franch i Gilabert, Mireia Luzárraga, Alejandro Muiño, 2025. Foto: Xavi Garcia Martinez. Cortesia Water Parliaments ©
In addition to the exhibition, the project includes a book entitled 100 Words for Water: A Vocabulary, in which more than 100 international experts propose new definitions related to water. This vocabulary, coordinated by the exhibition curators, is a joint initiative of the Institut Ramon Llull, the College of Architects of Catalonia and Lars Müller Publishers. The project also includes the Atlas: Architectures of Water, an online platform that documents the diverse interactions between architecture, culture and ecology on a global scale, inviting everyone to contribute to its expansion.
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