The director of the German museum of architecture (DAM) in Frankfurt am Main, Peter Cachola Schmal, will be the general commissioner for the German contribution to the 15th Architecture Biennale in Venice in 2016. Federal Building Minister Barbara Hendricks announced this in Berlin today. Her decision followed the recommendation of a commission of experts which, after an open competition, selected the DAM to create the exhibition Making Heimat. Germany, Arrival Country.
Federal Building Minister Barbara Hendricks commented: "Against the background of flight and migration, Making Heimat is a very topical and hotly debated theme. The DAM's concept can be embedded in the current sociopolitical context and deals with issues, initiatives and discussions that play important roles in the areas of building and housing in Germany today."
Based on the hypotheses which Canadian journalist Doug Saunders, who will also contribute to the exhibition as advisor, laid out in his bestselling book Arrival City, the DAM will deal with the following questions in the German pavilion: What challenges are cities facing where refugees and migrants are arriving? How will newly arrived people become socially integrated citizens? What contributions can architecture and spatial planning make in this process?
The detailed concept of the exhibition Making Heimat. Germany, Arrival Country will be presented at a press conference in early 2016. The DAM team and general commissioner and DAM Director Peter Cachola Schmal will be responsible for the content of the German contribution.
The Biennale in Venice takes place every two years and is the most important exhibition for architecture worldwide. The 15th Architecture Biennale will open on 28 May 2016 and end on 27 November 2016. The biennale's motto 2016 is Reporting from the Front. Chilean architect Alejandro Aravena, well known for his commitment to social and affordable construction, was appointed Director of the Biennale. More information about the Venice Biennale is available at www.labiennale.org .
The DAM team
- Peter Cachola Schmal,
general commissioner born in Altötting in 1960. Stays in Multan/Pakistan, Mühlheim an der Ruhr, Jacarta/Indonesia, Holzminden and Baden-Baden. Studied architecture at TU Darmstadt. 1989 employee at Behnisch + Partner in Stuttgart and 1990-93 at Eisenbach+ Partner in Zeppelinheim. 1992-97 research assistant at TU Darmstadt. 1997-2000 professor for design at the University of Applied Sciences Frankfurt am Main. Since 2000 curator and since 2006 director of the DAM. 2007 German general commissioner for VII International Architecture Biennale in São Paulo. - Oliver Elser,
curator born in Rüsselsheim in 1972. Studied architecture in Berlin. 2003 - 2007 architecture critic and journalist in Vienna. Since 2007 curator at the DAM and author of numerous papers in newspapers, magazines and books. 2012 - 2013 substitute professor for scenography at the University of Applied Sciences in Mainz. Examples of exhibitions: "Das Architekturmodell – Werkzeug, Fetisch, kleine Utopie", 2012; "Die 387 Häuser des Peter Fritz" (The 387 Houses of Peter Fritz) at the art biennale in Venice; "Mission: postmodern. Heinrich Klotz und die Wunderkammer DAM", 2014. - Anna Scheuermann,
née Hesse, project coordinator borin in Lahn-Gießen in 1977 Studied architecture at TU Darmstadt and Tec de Monterrey in Querétaro, Mexico. 2005-06 traineeship DAM. Since 2006 freelance curator and author. 2007 co-curator for German contribution to VII International Architecture Biennale in São Paulo. Since 2007 press and public relations work for diverse archtectural and engineering offices. Examples of exhibitions: "schneider+schumacher" 2012; "Nove Novos", 2013; "Suomi Seven", 2014.