CONNECTING INTELLIGENS EXHIBITION
A Collateral Event of the 19th International Architecture Biennale (intelligens. naturale. artificiale. collettiva)
Opening Reception: 15:00-16:00 May 10th, 2025
Regular Hours: 10:00 - 14:00 Tuesday, Thurs, & Sat. in May
Courtyard @ C.S. Gregorio, 166, 30123 Venezia VE (Near the Peggy Guggenheim Collection)
R. Spencer Steenblik(Curator)
Featuring:
Jonathan Nesci, Virginia Melnyk, Wyly Brown, Dave Gibson, Jonas Hauptman & the BioDesign Research Group, Tyler McMartin, The Carbon Natural Team, & others.
Join us in exploring how the intelligence embedded in connections—from the molecular to the architectural scale—can inspire innovative design futures.
Venice Italy - "Connecting Intelligens" examines the critical role of connections—both physical and conceptual—in architectural innovation. The exhibition explores how joints, nodes, and material interfaces embody different forms of intelligence: the inherent wisdom of natural structures, the precision of computational design, and the collaborative ingenuity of human makers.
This collection of work explores various approaches to connecting elements: tensile; digitally-optimized for minimal material; and innovative interfaces between dissimilar materials that expand architectural possibilities, molecularly-inspired connection systems. The exhibition celebrates the architectural joint as a site of innovation and expression. The works presented reveals how the humble joint can be transformed through various forms of intelligence into sophisticated architectural elements that determine structural behavior, aesthetic expression, and environmental performance.
A central feature is the work of the "Carbon Natural Research Team", which translates the tribrachidium (tri-symmetrical) nature of carbon molecular structures into architectural connection systems. Using various materials, this work demonstrates how natural molecular intelligence can inform sustainable structural systems that minimize material use while maximizing formal possibilities. The project exemplifies how connections—at both molecular and architectural scales—determine the performance, adaptability, and resilience of structures.
Supported by the Indiana University Presidential Arts and Humanities Fellowship