In celebration of the annual Italian language week, “Settimana della Lingua”, Pro Helvetia Liaison Office South Africa collaborates with the local Italian Cultural Institute to bring the contemporary architectural exhibition, TICINESE ARCHITECTURE IN THE WORLD: MILESTONES AND PROTAGONISTS 1970-2003 to Pretoria and Cape Town, South Africa. 

Hosted at the University of Pretoria, the exhibition runs for 4 weeks simultaneous to the WORLD CONGRESS ON HOUSING: 

TRANSFORMING HOUSING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH DESIGN and is opening on the 28 September 2005 in the presence of Swiss architects, Andrea Bassi. This exhibition profiles Switzerland as an Italian-speaking country with a distinct artistic expression in the field of architecture.

History and Description of the Exhibition

In 1975 the exhibition Tendenzen, organized at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH) by Thomas Boga and Martin Steinmann, formulated the idea of a “school” of young Ticino-based architects. The works of Mario Botta, Mario Campi, Aurelio Galfetti, Bruno Reichlin & Fabio Reinhart, Flora Ruchat-Roncati, Luigi Snozzi and Livio Vacchini became manifestos of a particularly fertile period of experiences, assuming the name Tendenza.

In 1996 the Architecture Academy promoted by Mario Botta and directed by Aurelio Galfetti was opened in Mendrisio, Canton Ticino.

The main objective of the exhibition is to present both the works that have made Ticinese architects famous in their homeland, and the buildings that have since been commissioned elsewhere in Switzerland and abroad. The exhibition is an opportunity to educate people about the expressions of that movement, reinforcing its prestige on the international scene.
The exhibits on the works and the architects are supplemented by the contributions of contemporary architectural scholars (Kenneth Frampton, Jacques Gubler, Werner Oechslin and Roberto Masiero), explaining the critical success of the protagonists of this movement.

The exhibition is aimed at a wide range of visitors: architects, designers, historians and scholars of contemporary art, students at academies, polytechnic institutes, architecture schools on all levels, schools of art and design, and other sector professionals like construction contractors and craftspeople, but also a larger audience composed of people interested in contemporary culture and lifestyles. The show offers fundamental notions for comprehension of an “architectural phenomenon” that has influenced the work of architects all over the world.

The architecture exhibitions are appreciated by audiences for the immediacy of the presentation of the themes, thanks to a fine range of spectacular images. In this specific case the images are joined with new, highly interactive technologies. Visitors, after viewing the panels, can make virtual visits to some of the most significant buildings. This exhibition is the first time since its establishment in 1997 that the South African Liaison office showcases a project from the architectural discipline.

Scholars and specialists can also consult a CD-ROM catalogue that analyses a 30 year period, presenting not only the architects of the movement, but also their predecessors and new talents, for a total of 90 architects and 261 works.

The exhibition comprises 49 panels, subdivided into introduction, milestones and protagonists. There are also two panels with a different format: the geographical panel and the timeline.

For detailed information on these panels and the exhibition, please go to http://www3.pro-helvetia.ch/expo/arch_ti/index_e.html

28th September – 26th October 

The University of Pretoria

Square adjacent to the IT Building

Pretoria

Opening of the Exhibition on 28th September: 18h00

All Day

12th November – 4th December

Company Gardens

Cape Town 

Opening of the Exhibition on 12th November: 10h00 

All day