DXA was part of the Time Space Existence Exhibition held as a part of the 2023 Venice Biennale. The six month event, which was in its fourth year of exhibition at the Biennale, showed a broad selection of work from architects, photographers, sculptors, and universities from across the globe.

The 2023 edition of Time Space Existence will draw attention to the emerging expressions of sustainability in its numerous forms, ranging from a focus on the environment and urban landscape to the unfolding conversations on innovation, reuse and community. In response to climate change, exhibited projects will investigate new technologies and construction methods that reduce energy consumption through circular design and develop innovative, organic and recycled building materials.

Participants will also address social justice by presenting living solutions envisioned for displaced communities and minorities, while others will examine the tensions between the built urban environment and the nature surrounding it, identifying opportunities for coexistence.

DXA exhibited a scaled mock-up of the reimagined West Park Presbyterian Church.

The model explores Renaissance themes of representation by employing the technique of forced perspective to contain the church and its urban context within a projected dimension limited to 50 cm. Our team utilized several fabrication techniques, marrying digital and analog strategies to create the base, the church, and the glass tower. The context elements are part of the plywood base that supports the interior structure of acrylic floor plates. The 3D printed church, replete with rusticated stone, and the acrylic and printed vinyl tower sit on the base and attach to the internal structure. An animated led lighting array and an audio recording composed of sounds from the church and the surrounding area complete the presentation.

The audio that accompanies the model of our proposal for West Park Presbyterian Church was composed by Gregory Rogove. The piece layers sounds from the site, traditional choral pieces, and the diverse activities in the church. If you listen carefully you can hear the rhythms of a flamenco class mixed in with a lively sermon on service and passing cars mixing with the chatter of hungry patrons waiting to be seated at a popular neighboring restaurant. The piece builds over the steady bass undertones of the church organ, immersing you in the tempo and frenetic simultaneity of sounds on the site.

Photography by Lorenzo Basadonna Scarpa.