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7 April 2026
*8:00 AM EDT / 2:00 PM CEST


Mediating Architecture:
An Institutional Study of Knowledge Production and Dissemination at the
Canadian Centre for Architecture, 1979 - 1999



NATÁLIA CORREIA BRANDÃO
Technical University of Munich


Respondent: Masamichi Tamura, Institute of Science Tokyo



Inaugural Exhibition “Photography and Architecture: 1839–1939”, 1982. Curator: Richard Pare, CCA. Credit: Collection Centre Canadien d'Architecture/Canadian Centre for Architecture, Montréal.



By involving wider audiences, cultural institutions such as architectural centers and museums have increasingly settled themselves as spaces for the production and dissemination of architectural knowledge beyond the academic world. In this thesis, the Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA, hereafter) is analysed as a cultural institution in relation to its activities of exhibiting, publishing, collecting and researching architecture. In this direction, the archive is the common ground on which – or from which – the activities and roles to be analysed take place; it is the conductor of the communication between the interior (the discipline related professionals and activities) and exterior (the broad public). It is from the activation of the archival structure that the aforementioned domains take place, and from which they are translated into exchanges with a broader audience.

Oral history, literature review and archival research are the methodological tools in this elaboration, which are of help to elucidate the broad question of how cultural institutions dedicated to architecture produce architectural knowledge in the interface between the interior and the exterior of the discipline. Specifically, the question is hoped to be answered through the institutional analysis of the CCA, identified as one of the most relevant cultural institutions with an architectural collection, and with a gap in the literature related to its critical analysis in scientific publications. The starting point of the thesis is its act of foundation in 1979 in Montreal by architect and philanthropist Phyllis Lambert, and goes over the two decades in which she acted as founder and president.

Overall, this presentation aims to present the overall structure of the thesis, its methodology and recent findings.



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“Worlding” on Display: The Chinese Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale
(2006-2023)



YARAN ZHANG
UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER

Respondent: Alicia Lu Lin, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice

The entrance to the Chinese Pavilion at the Arsenale, photo by Yaran Zhang, 2023.

Since its inaugural presentation in 2006, the Chinese Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale has become a strategic platform for soft power projection, cultural diplomacy and national self-representation within architectural discourse. This research argues that the Chinese Pavilion offers a valuable lens through which to understand China’s presentation of its architectural culture on the international stage. More broadly, it examines how China’s involvement in the cultural platform of the Biennale reflects an ongoing practice of “worlding”—a method defined by American anthropologist Aihwa Ong—through which non-Western actors actively position themselves within and contribute to the global order. In this context, international exhibitions function as channels of soft intervention, allowing China to integrate into and engage with the global cultural landscape.

Drawing on archival research, oral history, and media analysis, this research investigates the curatorial strategies, theme choices, and exhibit formats of the Chinese Pavilion between 2006 and 2023. It identifies three phases in China’s participation at the Venice Architecture Biennale: Phase I (1991-2006) relied on symbolic motifs, prioritising visibility over narrative depth; Phase II (2008-2016) marked a shift toward critical engagement with social and architectural issues; Phase III (2018-2023) reflects intensified state involvement, characterised by immersive technologies and large-scale construction displays. These curatorial changes closely align with national policies over the past three decades, including Jiang Zemin’s “Bring in and Go Global” in 1996, Hu Jintao’s “Stimulate Cultural Creativity” in 2007, and Xi Jinping’s “Tell a Good China Story” in 2013.

By examining the Chinese Pavilion within the uneven geography of national pavilions at the Giardini and Arsenale in Venice, this study reveals the Biennale’s character—part art fair, part museum, and part geopolitical tool—through which China negotiates its evolving cultural identity and projects soft power on the global stage.
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