Norman Foster joins Lou Reed-loving cleric for church’s debut at architecture biennaleWhen the Venice Architecture Biennale opens on 26 May, the genius of cutting-edge designers from around the world will be celebrated. But the show will also be notable for a different kind of innovation: the involvement for the first time of the Vatican, in collaboration with Norman Foster.The Catholic church’s debut pavilion will consist of 10 full-scale chapels built on an island in the Venice lagoon, all commissioned from top architects, including Foster. That the Vatican agreed to sponsor such a venture is down to one man – the trailblazing Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, who is bringing a new dimension to the sometimes vexed relationship between church and world. It’s the second time this month that Ravasi has been instrumental in creating such a high-profile arts event. Without him, the New York fashion exhibition Heavenly Bodies and its associated, controversial Met Gala, where pop star Rihanna dressed as a sparkly pope, would never have happened. Continue reading…
Via: The Vatican in Venice (and a cardinal who walks on the wild side)
Categories: English News