Bridging Craft and Technology in Bhutan
BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group's contribution to Carlo Ratti's Intelligens: Natural. Artificial. Collective. at this year's Venice Architecture Biennale features four wooden beams with intricate carvings made from a collaboration between traditional craftsmen and robots. A short film describes the collaborative process ahead of the beams being shipped to the Arsenale.
Ancient Future: Bridging Bhutan's Tradition and Innovation was one of the more performative pieces in the Biennale during the vernissage and ahead of its opening on May 10. The carvings visible on the sides of the beams were completed ahead of the Biennale, but two Bhutanese woodcarvers—Sangay Thsering and Yeshi Gyeltshen, per BIG—worked on the top surfaces, while a robotic arm cleared away wood shavings and dust. Although the film shows the robotic arm working with drill bits, safety concerns in Venice led the team to equip it with just a brush.
Carved with dragons, elephants, and other animals and natural patterns, the beams in Ancient Future are part of BIG's design for Gelephu International Airport, one of the main components in the Kingdom of Bhutan's Gelephu Mindfulness City masterplan by BIG, Arup, and Cistri. BIG describes the city as “a modern hub where culture and innovation harmonize” and the airport as having “intricately carved interiors that bridge Bhutan's past and future.”
Part of Ancient Future is a documentary by Laurian Ghinițoiu and Arata Mori “that provides an intimate portrait of the creative process”:
Visit BIG's office profile for more information on Gelephu International Airport. and Gelephu Mindfulness City.
