Unscene Architecture, directed by AA Alumni Madeleine Kessler and Manijeh Verghese (Head of Public Programme), have revealed the programme for the British Pavilion at the 2020 Venice Biennale. The exhibition, titled The Garden of Privatised Delights seeks to critique the decline of public space and urges both private and public sectors to work together to create better-designed spaces for all.

Verghese and Kessler commented: ‘We hope to initiate conversations around how the private and public sectors can work together to provide the public spaces that are missing in cities, and to make them accessible to all.By expanding the definition of what privatised public space can be, as well as widening the debate around who can access, own, design and use these areas, we hope to inspire more welcoming and beneficial public spaces for everyone to enjoy.’

The programme includes contributions from a variety of other collaborators proposing alternatives for public space. The Decorators are presenting strategies for turning the pub into a centre for civic action. Built Works, run by AA alumni Harry Kay and Will Gowland want to rethink the way collective data could be used for the public benefit. Studio Polpo are casting off the purely commercial high street, transforming it into a place of diverse social exchange. Public Works, a design practice co-founded by AA alumnus and former tutor Andreas Lang, are proposing alternative models of land ownership. Lastly, vPPR, a firm led by AA tutor Jessica Reynolds (Experimental 13) and AA Alumna Catherine Pease and former AA tutor Tatiana von Preussen will be asking how we can transform the city into a space for teenagers to occupy on their own terms.

Read the AJ reporting on the plans for the Biennale.