The Pool
The Pool
A multi-sensory installation at the Venice Architecture Biennale explored the social and cultural significance of ‘the pool’ as a quintessential Australian public space.
Location
Venice Architecture Biennale
Client
Australian Institute of Architects
Completion
2016
Collaborators
Left Bank Co
Within the newly built Australian Pavilion, The Pool amplified both the ethereal and physical qualities of the space. The design engaged shifting light, the shimmer and distortion of reflections across water, and the reverberant acoustics of the room.
While the pools that inspired the work are iconic in Australia, the nostalgia they evoke—bound to joy, childhood, ritual, and freedom—extends beyond geography. This shared emotional terrain allowed the installation to resonate globally, connecting audiences to place through memory.
The exhibition unfolded as a layered meditation on the pool’s social and cultural life in Australia, structured through a constellation of voices. Interviews with eight Australian figures—including environmentalist Tim Flannery, Olympians Shane Gould and Ian Thorpe, authors Anna Funder and Christos Tsiolkas, curator Hetti Perkins, fashion designers Romance Was Born, and singer-songwriter Paul Kelly—formed a collective narrative of belonging, identity, and public life.
The Pool received international acclaim for its conceptual and spatial innovation and was featured in The New York Times and Monocle.
The exhibition was commissioned by the
Australian Institute of Architects.
The design of the pool was developed from an in depth study of architetypal Australian pools - natural, manmade, coastal, harbour, backyard and muicipal.
Guests to the pavilion were invited to
take their shoes off and go for a dip.
The Pool brought back memories of
childhood for many visitors.
A newspaper style publication captured stories relating
to the pool and Australian cultural identity.
The Anerle Aneme chair was designed and fabricated in collaboration with Elliat Rich
and the Centre for Appropriate Technology (CAT) in Alice Springs.
The chair encouraged visitors to “sit a little while” and enjoy the Pool and the setting of the pavilion adjacent to the canal. Anerle Aneme means 'sit a little while' in the Central Australian Arrente language.
Sound artist Bree Van Reyk developed a soundtrack for the Pool which was played within the space. An additional
series of podcasts were developed from the interviews and soundtrack and can be heard on ABC Radio National.
Team
Credits
Photography
Brett Boardman, Alex Mayes
Awards
Best Public or Hospitality Project, Dulux Colour Awards
Award
Adrian Ashton Prize, AIA NSW
Award
International, Interior Design Excellence Awards
Commendation
Installation Design, Interior Design Awards
Commendation