3rd Biennale of Young Greek Architects

One of the main goals of the Hellenic Institute of Architecture is the presentation and promotion of new ideas and trends in Architecture. For this reason, it has established an event, that happens every two years,  showcasing proposals  – and sometimes completed works – by young Greek Architects, as well as their wider dissemination within Greek society. In his way, another fundamental goal of the Institute is also fulfilled, that is to inform and raise awareness among a wider segment of the country’s population about current architectural trends. 

If we accept the ambitious statement that Architecture represents the material expression of the ideas and socio – economic currents or conditions of a specific historical period, then we will find it very difficult to critically analyze the creations of contemporary architecture using the terms of our own time. This effort is further complicated by the tradition of recent decades, in which architectural theorists have often turned to broader philosophical frameworks in order to explain (after the fact) architectural development.

Thus, we moved from the anthropological perspective of Levi Strauss to the deconstruction of Derrida, with the same anxiety with which we now seek, in the new concepts of Deleuze and Guattari, the path that architecture can (and perhaps must) follow in order to express our time.

However, the adaptation of any philosophical discourse into another field – especially when that field is an expression of applied art – understandably creates inconsistencies , confusion and self-contradictions. Instead of clarifying the fundamental processes and dimensions of architectural creation, and thereby establishing a new design position attuned to social, a kind of “fog” develops, enveloping the “real project”. To borrow the thought of Deleuze “ Every actual object is surrounded by virtual circles that are constantly renewed, each one emitting another, while also surrounding and reacting to the actual object. A contemporary perception is surrounded by a haze composed of virtual representations, defined as virtual primarily by their speed or short-lived nature, and held together at a subconscious level”.

In this sense, the analysis of Deleuze and Guattari offers one of the more credible interpretations of this theoretical approach. However, in my view it does not address the architectural object itself – which remains autonomous, concrete and undeniable in its design reality. Thus, we return to the other pole of the “virtual” – “real” and to that level where as Deleuze writes, the virtual comes so close to the real that the distinction between them begins to fade.

These philosophical positions are also reflected in the exhibition of works at the 3rd Biennale of Young Greek Architects. They represent 37 viewpoints on a discourse that is highly topical and, for that very reason, still unsettled. The viewer is invited to engage with them openly receiving and analyzing the incentives they provoke, without specific preconceptions shaped by the valuable and highly interesting theoretical texts.Only in this way, I believe, will the viewer form their own impressions and be able to begin a dialogue with the catalogue texts. And if some conceptual frameworks emerge for each visitor to the exhibition, then one can argue that this is a significant gain – one that largely justifies the efforts made by all those involved in bringing this event to life.

I would like to warmly thank the Minister of Culture for his unwavering support, the Hellenic Cultural Heritage Promotion S.A., Attiko Metro S.A. and especially its President, for providing the exhibition space, as well as the sponsors: G.S. of youth, Ergochrom, Bright, Verykokos S.A., and Campari Bombay Saphire and of course all those who collaborated in the realization of the exhibition , the curators and the staff of the Institute .

Professor N.Kalogeras
President of the Hellenic Institute of Architecture

Collaborating Organization:
Hellenic Cultural Heritage Promotion S.A.

Curation: 
Yro Tsiouni
Chatzisavva Dimitra

Sponsors:
Attiko Metro
Bright Special Lighting
EXPO S.A.
G.S. of Youth
SONY
Melon Cinematic
SoundMotion Hi End Ltd
Verykokos S.A.
Laiki Bank