The Salon Suisse has long since become an institution at the Architecture Biennale in Venice. Over three weekends, the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia hosts intimate panel discussions in the hall of the Palazzo Trevisan degli Ulivi. Each Salon Suisse is organized by a salonière or salonier. This year, the young Zurich architect, art historian and curator Evelyn Steiner has taken on this task. Fabian Peters met her for an interview in Venice.
Evelyn Steiner on the Campo S. Agnese in Venice, photo: Samuele Cherubini
"The body turn has hardly been reflected in architectural discourse to date." Evelyn STEIN
Baumeister: What is behind the title “Bodily Encounters”, which you have given to the Salon Suisse 2021?
Evelyn STEIN: I wanted to find a theme that was accessible to everyone. Everyone has a body. The experience of our body shapes us from the second we are born. At the Salon Suisse 2021 events, I want to focus on the body in relation to architecture. Little research has been done on this so far and I think there is a lot of catching up to do here.
B: Does your theme tie in with the Biennale’s question “How will we live together”?
Evelyn STEIN: When I was thinking about the theme, I didn’t even know the motto of the current Architecture Biennale. But I find the overlaps in content both coincidental and remarkable. In my opinion, you have to start with your own body when thinking about living together: How do I see my body in relation to other bodies and to space? But the Salon Suisse is not meant to be a commentary on the Biennale.
B: Why do you think architecture needs to catch up when it comes to dealing with the body?
Evelyn STEIN: In the humanities and social sciences, the so-called body turn, in which the body in all its diversity becomes the focus of research interest, began three or four decades ago. This applies to topics such as feminism and the re-evaluation of the concept of gender. But it also includes the enormous progress made in the field of biotechnology through to thought models such as transhumanism. However, the body turn has hardly been reflected in architectural discourse to date.
Evelyn STEIN in conversation with Fabian Peters, photo: Samuele Cherubini
"For me, it's more about sharing than just imparting knowledge." Evelyn STEIN
B: But you’re not just planning the Salon Suisse events as a theoretical debate?
Evelyn STEIN: Absolutely not! It was very important to me that the Salon also had a poetic dimension. We didn’t want to organize a series of events that could also be an SIA or BDA congress. That’s why the “crazy” element, the refraction through the medium of art, is so important to me at this year’s salon. I find it very interesting to explore the interfaces and boundaries between space and art. Performances in particular, in which the body is the central means of creating art, were an obvious addition.
B: Historically, the “salonière” is the hostess of a literary salon. How do you interpret this role for yourself?
Evelyn STEIN: The Salon Suisse is of course very much characterized by our “Salon”, the magnificent hall in the Palazzo Trevisan degli Ulivi, the headquarters of the Pro Helvetia Foundation in Venice. This fantastic room creates the informal character of the events. You can almost feel like you’re in your own living room. I have the impression that some of our guests are on the verge of taking off their shoes. What also contributes to this intimate character is the fact that many visitors attend not just one, but several or all events over a weekend. This creates an almost family atmosphere. I also see my role as bringing the guests together and encouraging them to talk to each other – and not just about architecture.
B: This year’s program is not limited to the evening “Salons”, but also includes events during the day. What is the idea behind this?
Evelyn STEIN: It was very important to me to include the urban space. We wanted to go out into the city with the Salon Suisse. If you look at the Biennale, many of the contributions seem like UFOs – foreign bodies that have nothing to do with Venice. I wanted to avoid that at all costs. Instead, I wanted to relate the theme of “Bodily Encounters” directly to the city. On the first Salon Suisse weekend, we went on an excursion to a series of typical Venetian apartments – from one-room apartments to palazzos. This insight into the current living environments of city dwellers was extremely exciting. There will then be an excursion to the lagoon at the October Salon.
The Palazzo Trevisan degli Ulivi, venue of the Salon Suisse, photo: Samuele Cherubini
"I would like to discuss what it means for architecture if we can technically upgrade our bodies." Evelyn STEIN
B: Is Venice also a topic in the panel discussions in the evening salons?
Evelyn Steiner: The city will be part of the theme for at least one evening at each of the three Salon Suisse weekends in 2021. At the opening weekend, for example, I had Deborah Howard as my guest, professor emeritus at Cambridge and one of the greatest experts on the history of Venetian architecture. I spoke to her about how epidemics have changed the cityscape of Venice. Did you know, for example, that perhaps the first quarantine facility in the history of medicine, the Lazzaretto Nuovo, was built here?
B: I didn’t know that! Are you also pursuing a certain educational goal with the events?
Evelyn Steiner: I’m more interested in exchanging ideas than just imparting knowledge. I sometimes find the world of architecture to be very hermetic. That’s why it’s important to me at this year’s Salon Suisse, for example, to bring architects into contact with artists from other disciplines – dancers, singers, visual artists. The events should not be dry theoretical debates, but should be entertaining and fun. But of course, as a curator, I can’t get out of my skin – the content is close to my heart.
B: What criteria did you use to select your discussion partners for the panel discussions?
Evelyn STEIN: The starting point was always the topic I had in mind for the respective panel discussion. I always wanted to have three very different perspectives on the respective topic of discussion. I hardly knew any of my fellow panelists personally beforehand. Instead, I thought about which perspectives I would find interesting and then started researching. In the process, I came across some really exciting scientists and artists. On the opening weekend, for example, I spoke to an American literary scholar, an Australian engineer and a Croatian artist about the topic of “ghost houses”.
Evelyn STEIN and Fabian Peters in Venice, photo: Samuele Cherubini
Salon Suisse 2021: "Bodily Encounters"
B: What can visitors look forward to at the two upcoming Salon Suisse weekends from October 21 to 23 and November 18 to 20?
Evelyn STEIN: On October 22, for example, I have invited the New York-based architecture researcher Lydia Kallipoliti, who published the book “The Architecture of Closed Worlds” in 2018 – a topic that has suddenly become extremely topical due to the pandemic. In her book, she examines the architectural history of closed microcosms – from monasteries to space stations. Among other things, I talk to her about the territorial behavior of people living together. And in November, the topic will be transhumanism. I would like to discuss what it means for architecture if we can technically “upgrade” our bodies. Do I still need noise protection regulations if I have noise suppression implanted in my ear?
Evelyn STEIN, born in 1981, studied architecture in Zurich and art history in Bern. She works as a curator at the Zurich Architecture Center ZAZ and is the 2021 Salon Suisse salonière at the Architecture Biennale in Venice.
This interview was produced with the kind support of Laufen Bathrooms AG. The company has been the main sponsor of the Salon Suisse of the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia since 2012.
October Salon: “Realities”
October 21 to 23, 2021
November Salon: “Alterations”
November 18 to 20, 2021
Palazzo Trevisan degli Ulivi
Campo S. Agnese, Dorsoduro 810
Venice