« Everyday » – 12th International Architecture Biennale of Sao Paulo (Brazil)

Held between September and December of 2019, the 12th International Architecture Biennale of Sao Paulo entitled « Everyday », brought together 70 works based on the evaluation of 710 entries from 52 Brazilian cities and 101 cities from 30 other countries, to discuss, to deepen, and to recreate influences of architecture and urbanism amid everyday logics.

Segmented into three thematic axes, the exhibition « Everyday » examines, in Daily Reports, human experiences produced from space, listing real or fictional reports of violence, crises, and inequalities, as well as poetic subtleties. In turn, the  Day-to-day Materials approach addresses the awareness and critical engagement of architects, landscape designers, and urban planners, through productive uses and use of daily resources in urban and rural areas in the Anthropocene era. Finally, Daily Maintenance explores the maintenance of architecture and the city, highlighting the discussion that has gained volume in theoretical debates and technological research all over the world.

Faced with megalomaniac projects and the very recent ruins of modernist architecture, architects and urban planners see, for a future dotted with uncertainty, the power present in the simplicity and functionality that spaces operate in everyday life. Curated by Vanessa Grossman, Charlotte Malterre-Barthes, and Ciro Miguel, the exhibition consistently takes shape in two significant ranges of art and culture in the city of Sao Paulo. Those of which are important meeting points for the population of the city.

CCSP (Centro Cultural São Paulo), by architects Eurico Prado and Luiz Telles, is not only one of the most important architectural works in the city, but also an unmistakable building in everyday life. The space is known for its high circulation of different audiences that use its spans and corridors for studies, meetings, breaks, and choreographic rehearsals. Stage of the exhibition Architectures of the Everyday, the cultural center welcomed the existence of architecture and urbanism projects, installations, photographs, and videos from more than 20 countries that tried to reimagine spaces influenced by the daily experience of bodies in that space.

Sesc 24 de Maio, designed by Paulo Mendes da Rocha and MMBB, is a building in the city center amidst historic buildings, small and large stores, and commercial buildings, which has emerged as a fruitful meeting space, designed for projects, shows, food, and lounging. Receiving the exhibition « Everyday », the space presents a network of interventions that, produced by interdisciplinary teams, agree with the SESC’s space.

The biennial, organized by the Institute of Architects of Brazil – Department of São Paulo (IABsp), had the support of Pro Helvetia and the Consulate General of Switzerland in Sao Paulo for the work of Bruther, Elli Mosayebi, and Jan de Vylder at SESC 24 de Maio, and for the works of Rina Rolli, Noël Picco, David Moser, and Oliver Burch, Tom Avermaete, Sascha Delz, Jeannette Kuo, Anouk Schepen, Veronika Spielerung, and Maciverek Chevroulet at CCSP.