UniFor, 60th Biennale Arte 2024

Following its involvement in the 14th Biennale Architettura, curated by Rem Koolhaas, and its support of the 23rd Biennale Architettura, curated by Lesley Lokko, UniFor returns to Venice, continuing its collaboration with the British Council, which has been organizing exhibitions at the British Pavilion since 1937. For the 2024 Biennale Arte, Great Britain is represented by British-Ghanaian artist and filmmaker John Akomfrah. Through his installation Listening All Night To The Rain, Akomfrah delves into themes of memory, migration, racial injustice, and climate change. The work presents listening as a form of activism, proposing progressive theories of acoustemology.

The installation, comprised of eight interwoven multi-screen works, invites visitors to experience the historic neoclassical British Pavilion in a radically new way. The exhibition layout, conceived by the vPPR studio, is articulated through different rooms, each defined by a dominant color. UniFor has produced the metal structures, covered in felt and combined with fireproof wooden supports, specifically designed to host Akomfrah’s multi-screen works. Each of these structural ‘altars’ is uniquely shaped, contributing to the creation of intricate soundscapes.

By realizing the installation Listening All Night To The Rain for John Akomfrah, UniFor reaffirms its commitment to supporting culture through projects of high artistic value, while also highlighting its dedication to design excellence and technical innovation.

*Credits: John Akomfrah: Listening All Night to the Rain”  was commissioned by the British Council for the 60th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, 2024. Image: Taran Wilku”