to gather: The Architecture of Relationships explores how residents of Singapore share space—within the city, with one another, and with nature. The exhibition originated from a desire to bring together stories from the ground. With over 80% of Singapore’s population living in government-developed housing, the relationships within and between these communities form the foundation for many collective actions showcased in this exhibition. These initiatives, in turn, reshape and revitalize the spaces they inhabit.
The 2021 Singapore Pavilion presents sixteen projects that reflect the diverse cultural and social fabric of Singapore. As a highly urbanized and cosmopolitan city, Singapore is home to spatial typologies such as hawker centres, community centres, and public housing void decks—places that continuously foster social interactions.
The curators seek to translate these everyday practices of inclusivity and communal living into an exhibition format. Hashim Sarkis, Director of the 17th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, posed a timely question: How will we live together? The Singapore Pavilion responds with a community-driven approach, highlighting built spaces that facilitate gatherings. The hawker centre and the living/dining room of a public housing flat serve as natural touchpoints for illustrating Singapore’s unique modes of gathering and coexistence.
The exhibition is structured around four key themes, each representing different scales and forms of interaction:
- Communing Relationships: Exploring how collective histories are preserved and how memories inspire new ways of coming together.
- Framing Relationships: Examining the built environment as a shared space where individuals and communities coexist.
- Uncovering Relationships: Emphasizing multi-sensory and embodied interactions between people and their surroundings.
- Imagining Relationships: Speculating on the future of communal living in the digital age.
Through these themes, the exhibition reflects on how spatial design influences relationships, reinforcing the importance of shared spaces in shaping Singapore’s social fabric.
