Stories from Beneath the Water: The Panama Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2023
The 18th Venice Architecture Biennale is scheduled to open on May 20, 2023. Curated by Lesley Lokko, it will have the theme "The Future Laboratory", presenting the African continent as a driving force in shaping the world to come. Through 63 national pavilions, 89 participants, and nine parallel events throughout the city, professionals from a wide range of disciplines and backgrounds were invited to explore new possibilities.
Aerial view of the Panama Canal and the Miraflores locks. Image © Gianfranco Vivi / Shutterstock
The 18th Venice Architecture Biennale is scheduled to open on May 20, 2023. Curated by Lesley Lokko, it will have the theme "The Future Laboratory", presenting the African continent as a driving force in shaping the world to come. Through 63 national pavilions, 89 participants, and nine parallel events throughout the city, professionals from a wide range of disciplines and backgrounds were invited to explore new possibilities.
Recently, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Panama and the curator, architect, and designer Aimée Lam Tunon, presented preliminary plans for the Panamanian pavilion titled "Panama: Stories Underwater". This is an analysis of three different areas within the former Panama Canal Zone, addressing issues of division and integration: the divisive architectural structures and systems, the erased identities of submerged communities, and the island of Barro Colorado, critically examined to question the overlaps between notions of protection and control.
