Installation view the Garden of Privatised Delights, British Pavilion, curated by Madeleine Kessler and Manijeh Verghese of Unscene Architecture for the 17th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, 2021
Installation view the Garden of Privatised Delights, British Pavilion, curated by Madeleine Kessler and Manijeh Verghese of Unscene Architecture for the 17th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, 2021 ©

Cristiano Corte © British Council

In the run up to the opening of The Garden of Privatised Delights, British Council and exhibition partner Sto Werkstatt presented a series of online panel discussions, exploring the exhibition's themes.

Catch up on the online events below.

Materiality and Immateriality in The Garden of Privatised Delights 

The first of our public debates took place on 21 May 2020. The debate was introduced by Amy Croft, Curator of Sto Werkstatt, and chaired by British Council Director Architecture Design and Fashion, Sevra Davis. They were joined by 2021 British Pavilion curators Madeleine Kessler and Manijeh Verghese (Directors of Unscene Architecture), and Anna Mansfield, Director of Strategy and Research at Publica, and Seetal Solanki, Founder and Director of Ma-tt-er. 

Can We Live Together? 

This online event took place on 24 March 2021, and was chaired by Sevra Davis, British Council Director Architecture, Design and Fashion. The panel included 2021 British Pavilion co-curators Manijeh Verghese and Madeleine Kessler, Director of ArkDes Kieran Long, and Bovenbouw Architects' Dirk Somers. The event explored the interplay between cultural identity and history and examined how it affects the design process, materiality and final forms of architecture.