Parallels – Venice Architecture Biennale 2025
The project was developed as a proposal for the Bulgarian Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025, curated by Carlo Ratti under the theme “Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective.”. Our proposal aimed to embody the theme by creating a physical space where visitors can experience and reflect on intelligence in its various forms. Through an immersive and thought-provoking experience, the pavilion invites exploration and connection with these parallels of intelligence.
CONCEPT
Today, humanity faces increasingly complex and unexpected challenges that will shape not only the future of our species, but also that of our planet. Rather than seeking and providing ready-made solutions, the real impact lies in inspiring people to realise their own important role in this process and find their own answers. It is only through personal engagement and exploration that these answers leave a lasting mark and become deep, meaningful convictions that shape our actions and beliefs.
As collective intelligence plays an increasing role in understanding and solving complex problems, a fundamental question arises: do we really know the nature of intelligence? Do we see it as much more than an external and measurable phenomenon – as a presence that manifests daily – adaptively, intuitively and contextually?
The concept of the project is to provide an independent enclosed space in the form of a pavilion that functions outside of the traditional architectural exhibition.
PAVILLION
The pavilion is designed as an immersive experience that explores the diverse aspects of intelligence – natural, artificial and collective. The title reflects a multi-layered concept in which the parallels of perception, interaction and interpretation converge. The pavilion encourages visitors to consider intelligence not simply as an abstract concept, but as a physical and sensory experience.
From the outside, the pavilion appears as a monolithic and enigmatic structure, offering no clues about the experience within. At its core is the concept of creating a space that only makes sense through those who visit and interact with it. Although a static architectural object, it departs from the exhibition principle, demonstrating that the pavilion can be an engaging and sensory experience.
Deliberately designed without electricity or automation, it emphasises nature as the primary source of its vitality. The metal grids on the ceiling and floor create a seamless dialogue between the interior and the exterior, allowing light, scent, temperature and even rain to penetrate and influence the space. This blurring of boundaries explores the parallels between the human-made and the surrounding nature.
ENTRANCE
Upon stepping inside, visitors are immersed in an environment that is both disorientating and captivating. They find themselves in a rectangular space dominated by parallel ropes and a central mirrored cube. The mirrors blur the boundaries between the real and the unreal, and the ropes form pathways. Movement within the pavilion requires the active participation of the visitor. This is not a space for passive observation, but for physical and mental navigation.
The pavilion offers a dual mode of interaction – personal and collective. On the one hand, each visitor’s journey through the space is deeply personal, shaped by individual choices and interpretations. On the other hand, the maze provokes interaction between visitors, encouraging them to help each other and overcome physical challenges together, reflecting the principle of collective intelligence.
As time passes and weather conditions change, the pavilion transforms, creating a different experience for each visitor. This changing quality highlights the dynamic nature of intelligence, which is influenced by context, time and interaction.
INNER CUBE
Amid the ropes, visitors encounter a black curtain – a portal to pavillion’s inner cube. Stepping through, they enter a smaller, enclosed space where a living plant occupies the center. Here, the walls are mirrored on all four sides, creating an infinite reflection effect.
Nature serves as the centerpiece of the pavilion, symbolising natural intelligence and its resilience and adaptability. This quiet, organic presence contrasts sharply with the mirrored inner cube, which evokes the logic and infinite loops of artificial intelligence. It becomes a symbol of data-driven systems that reflect, copy and extend human cognition. The juxtaposition of the organic and the artificial invites reflection on the parallels and differences between human, natural and artificial intelligence.
INTELLIGENCE
The Pavilion is not just a physical space, it is a living metaphor for intelligence. The ropes and mirrors of the outer chamber reflect complexity and confusion, while the inner cube provides a moment of clarity and introspection. Intelligence is presented as a continuum – layers and parallels between natural, collective and artificial intelligence, existing and evolving together. The pavilion does not offer ready-made answers. It challenges visitors to draw their own conclusions. It is a space where everyone can rethink their relationship with nature, technology and the world, making the experience profoundly personal and deeply transformative.
Year
2025Location
Venice, ItalyType
CompetitionPhases
Pre-design, Schematic designDate
13/01/2025