Directed by Taito Kawata
Produced by Ilona Malinen

Nordic Countries Pavilion 

19th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia 

Industry Muscle: Five Scores for Architecture is an exhibition created by performance artist Teo Ala-Ruona and his team, exploring the modernist built environment through the lens of trans embodiment. Combining architecture, performance, and installation, the exhibition proposes five speculative scores for the architecture of the future.  

Architecture is designed for the human body, and our understanding of the body shapes architecture. During the modernis era, tools such as Le Corbusier’s Modulor Man diagram were developed based on standardized conceptions of the human body. These tools defined the ideal user, which facilitated design, but overlooked the diversity of bodies and experiences. At the same time, the worldview was based on continuous growth and the notion of limitless natural resources. 

How should we approach modernist ideals and the built environment around us in the era of ecological crisis? The five exercises presented in Teo Ala-Ruona’s exhibition spark a rethinking of architecture. A key example is the Nordic Countries Pavilion, designed by Norwegian architect Sverre Fehn and completed in 1962. This subtle concrete pavilion is considered a masterpiece of modernism. 

Could an alternative approach to architecture – one that opens new pathways for the future – lie in expanding our understanding of the body? As the Biennale’s chief curator, architect, and engineer Carlo Ratti has stated: “When established systems begin to fail, new ways of thinking are needed.” 

The exhibition is commissioned by the Architecture & Design Museum Helsinki and curated by architect Kaisa Karvinen.