FOODSCAPES launches open research platform

“By eating, we digest territories.”

The Pavilion of Spain at the 18th International Architecture Exhibition at the Venice Biennale is set to host the FOODSCAPES Open Research Platform, a dynamic, research-led initiative exploring the intricate architectures of our food systems, from the intimate spaces of our kitchens to the sprawling operational landscapes that power our cities. FOODSCAPES is curated by Eduardo Castillo-Vinuesa and Manuel Ocaña, and proposes to explore the agro-architectural context of Spain and Venice to address issues of planetary scope.

From June 26, the Spanish Pavilion will become a public laboratory from which to collaboratively explore the future of our food systems. At the core of this research platform is the Future Foodscapes Research Unit. Managed by Anastasia Sinitsyna and Polina Filimonova, this collective is composed of six researchers selected by a public open call in collaboration with three Spanish universities—Pedro Sanguino and Claudia Lopez from EAT-UCLM; Irene Domínguez Serrano and Carlo Udina from ETSAM-UPM; and Marcia Belen Ardiles and Mireia Figueras from ETSAB-UPC.

Over the course of five months, they will be joined weekly by a renowned cohort of experts from different backgrounds—scientists, environmental historians, policymakers, local hosts, facilitators, artists, architects, anthropologists, writers, chefs, farmers—as part of a public programme open to those who want to join this collective endeavour, either live or online.

Participants are invited to take part in lectures, events, workshops, discussions, and field trips across Venice and the surrounding regions of Northern Italy, visiting laboratories, gardens, institutions, and other public sites, while engaging in lively discussions with leading practitioners, who will bring their unique perspectives and diverse knowledge to the table. These include Marina Otero Verzier, Enric Bou, Aleksandra Jaeschke, Martha de Marchi, Manijeh Verghese, Elena Longhin, Roberta Raffaeta, Barenas Collective, Nomeda and Gediminas Urbonas, Jan Boelen, Laura Tripaldi and Territorial Agency, among many others. 

The programme will culminate in the creation of the Future Foodscapes Compendium—a web platform that will host a collection of case studies, tools and operational resources that offer proposals for a more fair and resilient future food system. As the public programme draws to a close, the most promising cases studies will be taken into an implementation phase, where they will be prototyped in collaboration with supporting institutions and stakeholders. 

The FOODSCAPES research programme is a collective endeavour promoted with the support of the European Climate Foundation (ECF), conceived with several leading universities from both Spain (ETSAM-UPM, EAT-UCLM and ETSAB-UPM) and Venice (Ca’Foscari University of Venice and IUAV), in collaboration with TBA21 Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary, an internationally renowned art and advocacy foundation created in 2002 by the philanthropist and collector, Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza. 

The Spanish Pavilion has been organised and funded by the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda (MITMA) of Spain, the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) and the Spain’s Public Agency for Cultural Action (AC/E).

Additionally, in the autumn, in collaboration with TBA21, the three participating Spanish universities will each curate a week-long event as part of the public programme, engaging local communities and experts and creating opportunities for connection between the Venetian and Spanish foodscapes. These events, hosted at TBA21's Ocean Space and in unexpected spaces around the Venice lagoon, promise a blend of experimental formats—UCLM will host a supper club, ETSAB plans to spark conversations centred around food consumption designs, and ETSAM-UPC will organise an experimental symposium in collaboration with the New European Bauhaus.

For further information and details on events programming, please consult foodscapes.es or follow FOODSCAPES on Instagram (@foodscapes2023).

International and national press queries: Sara Mattiazzi, Ocean Space / Sala Shaker, Scott & Co. / Amanda Kelly, Pickles PR