#1802
NATURALIS BRUTALIS
Location:
VENICE
Type:
EXHIBITION/VENICE BIENNALE 2018
Status:
COMPLETED
(currently exhibited at Sara Kulturhus, Skellefteå)Size:
1.5 x 1.5 x 1.2 M
Collaboration:
JONAS SVENSSON
(MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY)
Client:
ARCHITECTS SWEDEN
SWEDISH WOOD
FOLKHEM
Naturalis Brutalis was displayed during the 2018 Venice Biennale, as part of the exhibition Plots, Prints, Projections. Seven Swedish architect studios were invited to participate by the Swedish Associations of Architects, but – crucially – the exhibition was financed by various companies and trade associations of the Swedish wood and forest industry. Thus, wood was naturally the common denominator.
The exhibition was hosted in a beautiful late 19th century greenhouse right next to the Giardini. An interesting setting, especially considering its tradition of exhibiting nature. Motivated by a fascination with the 'exotic', the greenhouse presents nature as juxtaposed objects, separated from their native context.
The installation ended up being, literally, a plot of Swedish forest transported to Venice in a 1,5 x 1,5 metre shipping crate. This particular sample of forest happened to be a clear-cut – not an uncommon sight these days – inhabited by a very peculiar creature, presented as follows:
“The Naturalis Brutalis (currently without common name in either English or Swedish) is a creature increasingly found in the forests of Sweden. Similar to rodents, the Naturalis Brutalis has an invasive, brutal relationship with nature. However, on rare occasions it shows a certain artistic interest.
This specimen of Naturalis Brutalis and plot of woodland were found in an evergreen forest outside of Luleå, Northern Sweden, in 2015. The creature has meticulously gnawed iconic pieces of architecture out of three stumps of pine tree (Pinus sylvestris). To keep the Naturalis Brutalis calm and settled, the inner walls of the freight box are mirror-clad, creating the illusion of a vast pine forest.”
The exhibition was hosted in a beautiful late 19th century greenhouse right next to the Giardini. An interesting setting, especially considering its tradition of exhibiting nature. Motivated by a fascination with the 'exotic', the greenhouse presents nature as juxtaposed objects, separated from their native context.
The installation ended up being, literally, a plot of Swedish forest transported to Venice in a 1,5 x 1,5 metre shipping crate. This particular sample of forest happened to be a clear-cut – not an uncommon sight these days – inhabited by a very peculiar creature, presented as follows:
“The Naturalis Brutalis (currently without common name in either English or Swedish) is a creature increasingly found in the forests of Sweden. Similar to rodents, the Naturalis Brutalis has an invasive, brutal relationship with nature. However, on rare occasions it shows a certain artistic interest.
This specimen of Naturalis Brutalis and plot of woodland were found in an evergreen forest outside of Luleå, Northern Sweden, in 2015. The creature has meticulously gnawed iconic pieces of architecture out of three stumps of pine tree (Pinus sylvestris). To keep the Naturalis Brutalis calm and settled, the inner walls of the freight box are mirror-clad, creating the illusion of a vast pine forest.”