From Travel

Architects & Preschoolers in Venice

Past the crowded streets of Venice’s highlights is a quiet public garden called the Giardini. It hosts the Venice art and architecture festivals on alternating years. Underneath the canopy of trees are 30 pavilions representing specific participating nations. The 2016 artistic director, Alejandro Aravena, called architects from around the world to create exhibitions that reflect not on architectural …

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Venice: Travel with Kids

One of our Italy stops this summer was Venice. My  Rialto bridge experience was a good reminder to skip the important tourist stops, to avoid standing in line with kids, and not to expect food as good as Tuscany. Instead we ate hot dog calzones in small piazzas, road boats, got lost, and went to the Architecture Biennale (which …

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Hangar Bicocca: Architecture as Art

One of the smaller spaces at Hangar Bicocca felt like the largest. The fourteen pieces of “architecture” installed in the Shed gallery provided places where we could climb, laugh, and be transported.  Our favorite was made by our homestate heroes, Rural Studio! On their blog, they talk about building a “Forum” for thinking and debating. It is made …

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Hangar Bicocca: Anselm Kiefer

Hangar Bicocca hosts a permanent installation of Anselm Kiefer’s “Seven Heavenly Palaces” (2004-2015). In a warehouse-like space, exists seven towers that are more likely to fall down than reach heaven, as well as five huge paintings. The expansive space feels silent and hollow. After walking the distance, my son commented, “His work is messy, and I don’t …

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The Floating Piers by Christo

“People come from everywhere to walk to nowhere. Not to shop, not to meet friends – they just walk, to nowhere,” commented Christo about the Floating Piers this week. The Floating Piers is Christo’s latest art installation. It is coming to close this weekend after being open for two weeks. I introduced the work here, …

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