The curatorial idea has been physically transposed in the pavilion. ‘Lest we forget” tries, onone hand, to recreate the private dimension of the arab domestic space, and, on the other, todescribe, trough an interactive archive, the evolution of architecture in the UAE.The "closed scheme" of the typical houses’ plans was rebuilt by creating an exterior structure -1.8mt. high -, completely blank if seen from outside.
Anyone entering the pavilion has the feeling of passing from a public domain to a more intimate,almost holy, space, in which are placed 76 drawers containing artifacts and documents selectedby the curatorial team. The drawers are the basic element of the domestic dimension and, at thesame time, an interactive object: the visitor has, in this way, the perception of access personal andhidden histories, "closed in a drawer," which are placed following a diachronic scheme. The ideais that a story does not prevail over the other, emerging occasionally, depending on the type ofinteraction that occurs between the public and the installation.The UAE has a long architectural tradition, linked to its nomadic culture and built on temporarybuildings made with adobe and dried palm leaves.
For this reason, the archive is wrapped by an enclosure made out of wood and steel frames,texturized with 7km of hemp cord. The frames have a warp pattern reminiscent of Harish huts’texture.The enclosure is a impalpable and temporary membrane, that vibrates following the movementof the visitor, and which assumes a transparency gradient that changes according to the pointof view. The lights were positioned so as to create a gold effect that does not interfere with thevideos projection.
The whole pavilion was built with poor materials. The MDF has been chosen for its resistance(the 14. Biennial is the first bound to an opening of six months), while the 7km cord were set bystudying a simple prototype chassis, able to optimize the workforce.
