Venice Architecture Biennale: Scotland's exhibit invites communities to think big

What If...? Annan by Andrew Piggot. Andrew Piggott of 7N Architects worked with Lynne Russell to explore how to make worthwhile use of derelict buildings – the proposal incorporates a proposed brand created by Beautiful Materials.

Every two years, architects from countries all over the world exhibit thought-provoking ideas at the Venice Architecture Biennale, and it was a great honour for my practice, 7N Architects, to be commissioned by the Scotland + Venice partnership to represent Scotland in the latest edition of this global festival.

The Biennale’s curator Hashim Sarkis set the theme for 2020, asking “How Will We Live Together?” Little did we know how much this would resonate during a year of Covid lockdown.

Our response to the Biennale’s theme was to consider how architects can work more closely with the people who use the buildings and spaces they create. It would become an exhibition called What if…?/Scotland.

What If...? Lerwick by Ewan Anderson. Lerwick is a place which has evolved and relied upon the sea for livelihoods for many centuries. What if Lerwick could positively respond to the challenge of climate change and rising sea levels? Ewan Anderson of 7N Architects worked with Alistair Hamilton in Lerwick to explore how the town could be protected from rising sea levels for future generations.

The process of creating places has become complicated and distant from the people who will use, live and work in these places. Architects are deeply embedded within this cumbersome system. However, I believe what motivates most architects and designers is a desire to create places that make things better for those that use them and this is what we wanted to do for What If…?/Scotland. Our ambition was to re-discover the essence of the civic role of architecture by engaging architects directly with citizens and communities – architecture unplugged, if you like.

Back in early 2020, we brought 25 architects and designers together with 25 citizens from five communities across Scotland: Wester Hailes in Edinburgh, Paisley in Renfrewshire, Annan in Dumfries and Galloway, Elgin in Morayshire, and Lerwick in Shetland.

Pairing each citizen with an architect or designer we asked the citizens to share one hope, dream or wish to make their place better. In response their architect/designer created an idea - What if... we did something like this? In each place the collaborations started with a walk to share thoughts, experiences and possibilities for that location.

For me this is the essence of being an architect. It’s about listening to what people need or desire and coming up with a creative idea that satisfies it and adds something more. It was just us and the citizens, a sketchbook and a pencil and a series of engaging conversations about ambitious wishes and ideas for the future.

In one place, a teenager in care simply wanted a bedroom they could decorate themselves so they felt more of a sense of belonging. In another place there was a wish to create a boatshed by the river where older people could pass on their boat-building skills to the younger members of the community. We saw creative ideas for connecting people – physically and virtually, and a strong sense of civic pride.

The themes which emerged showed how important the climate emergency is to people, along with their town centres, having places for young people and the need for a sense of community spirit and belonging.

Most striking of all was the energy, enthusiasm and innovative thinking generated by the creative conversation between the architects and the citizens. As we emerge from the pandemic those stories and lessons can help us harness the creativity of our citizens and designers to tackle these urgent issues.

The voices of the citizens and designers have been captured in a series of films by Bash Art Creative, which will be available to view alongside the sketches and ideas in the exhibition.

What If...? Wester Hailes, by Katie Hay. Katie Hay of 7N Architects worked with Eoghan Howard and Emily Stevenson from Wester Hailes, who said they wished that there was a footbridge across the canal.

In early March 2020 the team at 7N Architects were making final preparations for our What if…?/Scotland exhibition. It was due to open at the Venice Biennale in May 2020. The following week everything changed. With Europe in lockdown, and the Biennale postponed, we didn’t get to Venice.

As 2021 and the new Biennale dates came closer, we had to rethink our approach. Instead of opening the exhibition in Venice, the opportunity arose to bring it directly to Scottish and visiting audiences at V&A Dundee. We soon got over the disappointment of not exhibiting at the canal-side venue in Venice as we realised exhibiting at Scotland’s centre for design was the right place for us to be at this time.

After a dislocating and unsettling year for most people, it feels entirely appropriate to present the wishes, hopes and ideas of people from communities across Scotland at a home venue where it can inspire people right here in Scotland, as we begin to emerge from the pandemic. It has also allowed us to add Dundee to the five original What if …? places through an ongoing engagement programme with communities in the city which will be displayed in the exhibition.

The centrepiece of the exhibition is the Cloud of Dreams. It is inspired by Scotland’s clootie wells and Yoko Ono’s wish tree. The wishes of all the citizens who have taken part are written on cards. These will be suspended above the room, alongside those of visitors to the exhibition, to form the Cloud of Dreams. Please try and visit V&A Dundee to add your own wish to the Cloud for how the community in which you live could be a better place.

What If...? Paisley, by Ffion Roberts. Ffion Roberts of 7N Architects worked together with Linzi Clark from Paisley. Linzi wished she felt inspired and excited walking through Paisley. Ffion proposed that Paisley’s public spaces were unified by a unique identity which provided a platform to showcase local talents and interests.

So how can all this really make a difference? Surely the complex bureaucratic systems that shape our towns and cities will render such wishes and dreams an irrelevance? I would disagree. The planning system has seen a steady shift towards more community engagement over the past decade. There is a significantly heightened appetite and awareness, post-pandemic, for living and acting locally and the quality of the places in which we live. We already see this in changing patterns of work and policies such as 20-minute neighbourhoods. The pandemic has fast forwarded attitudes that might have taken 5 or 10 years to change, in just one year.

A key lesson of the past year of extraordinary challenges, individual endeavours and collective achievements is that the naysayer’s phrasebook of “it’s too difficult”, “this hasn’t been done before” and “you’ll never get that to work” is now obsolete.

It feels like it's time to dare to wish and to ask What if …? We look forward to sharing the exhibition with you.

Ewan Anderson is the Principal of 7N Architects, Edinburgh, www.7narchitects.com What if…?/Scotland is commissioned by the Scotland + Venice partnership, which provides architects and artists based in Scotland with a platform to showcase their work on the international stage at the Venice Biennale and is a partnership between Creative Scotland, British Council Scotland, National Galleries of Scotland, Architecture and Design Scotland and the Scottish Government.  What if ….?/Scotland is at V&A Dundee from 22 May to 21 November. The exhibition films will also be available to view from 22 May at www.scotlandandvenice.com

Add your hope, wish or dream to What if…?/Scotland: To mark the opening of What if…?/Scotland at V&A Dundee on 22 May, Scotland+Venice are inviting Scotsman and Scotland on Sunday readers to share a wish for your place. Take a 20-minute walk from your home, look out of your window or speak to a friend, and think about a wish for this place. Submit your wish and they will add it to a growing cloud of dreams which will be part of the What if…?/ Scotland exhibition. You can submit your wish here: https://tinyurl.com/2rtdyypa

A message from the Editor:

What If...? Elgin, by Claire Hope of Burro Happold. Claire Hope of Buro Happold worked with Christy Bolland to explore the wish that Elgin was the thriving market town it once was. They asked: what if we invigorate the beautiful High Street using the power of lighting?

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription at https://www.scotsman.com/subscriptions