The Armenian Pavilion at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition in Venice, titled “Microarchitecture Through AI: Making New Memories with Ancient Monuments,” delves into the contemporary challenges of cultural heritage. It shines a light on the threats posed by climate change, conflict, and neglect, whilst probing how cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence could pave new paths for preservation and reinterpretation.
Curated by Marianna Karapetyan, with the support of Svetlana Sahakyan from Armenia’s Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports, the exhibition features a rich collaboration among digital innovators, architects, and cultural conservators. Key players such as Electric Architects, TUMO Center for Creative Technologies, CALFA, and MoNumEd contribute insights on how technology can invigorate and extend our understanding of cultural memory.
At its heart, the exhibition uses a generative AI model, stemming from TUMO’s Armenian Heritage Scanning Project, which archives digitized Armenian architecture. Rather than just cataloguing structures, the AI creates new spatial designs that reinterpret endangered architectural forms and motifs, translating these digital creations into tangible carvings on tuff stone, a traditional building material in Armenia.
This journey from digital concept to physical form underscores the pavilion’s exploration of cultural identity. By reimagining architectural heritage through AI, it questions long-held notions of authorship and permanence, envisioning technology not merely as a replication tool but as a catalyst for new narratives.
The pavilion also contemplates the broader implications of AI in heritage preservation, challenging the idea of restoring monuments to a static historical condition. Instead, it advocates for a dynamic approach where reinterpretation and transformation become integral to evolving cultural expressions.
Through a synthesis of digital design, craftsmanship, and experimental practices, the Armenian Pavilion fuels pivotal conversations about the future of preservation amidst environmental and political upheaval. It invites reflection on technology’s role in cultural memory and heritage sustenance in our rapidly changing world.
Additionally, other countries are curating their pavilions for the Venice Biennale, including Lebanon’s exploration of ecocide and environmental recovery, Japan’s examination of AI’s architectural role, and Bulgaria’s investigation of sustainability amid human and technological intervention.
The Armenian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale 2025 examines the interplay of AI and cultural memory through the exhibition “Microarchitecture Through AI: Making New Memories with Ancient Monuments.” Curated by Marianna Karapetyan, it features collaborations with key contributors like Electric Architects and TUMO. The pavilion uses AI to generate new architectural forms from Armenian heritage and discusses the dynamic nature of preservation in today’s climate. It joins other pavilions exploring themes like ecocide, AI’s role in architecture, and sustainability.
In conclusion, the Armenian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale presents an innovative fusion of artificial intelligence and cultural heritage preservation. Through its explorations of memory and reinterpretation, it challenges standard conventions, urging a more dynamic narrative in the face of contemporary challenges. This pioneering approach not only reflects on the past but also reimagines the future of architectural identity in a rapidly evolving world.
Original Source: www.archdaily.com
