Venice Architecture Biennale: No Imagination Needed

Humaid with the iconic San Marco tower in the background on a sunny day. (Courtesy: Humaid Mansoor)

It is time for the next in our ongoing series of diary-style blog entries from the interns who are undertaking a six-month programme acting as custodians of the National Pavilion of the UAE throughout the duration of the exhibition Lest We Forget: Structures of Memory in the UAE at the 14th International Architecture Exhibition of la Biennale di Venezia. There are 19 Emiratis and long-term residents of the UAE selected for the programme and they have been divided into smaller groups, each spending one month Venice where they will live and work. They will also work alongside eight Italian interns from the prestigious Ca'Foscari University in Venice, whom will be partnering with the Emiratis for cultural and language exchange.

Today we hear from Humaid Mansoor, an emerging artist. He writes:

“Venice – a city dating back many centuries and one that has, over the years, become synonymous with artists, writers, composers and poets. Having already spent a couple of weeks here it’s not hard to see how this magical city inspired many great works across various disciplines – without which the landscape of art and architecture we know today would be very different.

Although it had always been on my top ten list of places to visit, I had never got the opportunity before embarking on this exciting journey in the form of the internship program. I had many expectations not only from the program, but also the city, its people and let’s not forget the oh-so-popular cuisine.

As an artist, I was excited to visit, but nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to experience. Even though I had heard a lot of mixed reviews from friends and family who had visited previously, I wasn’t deterred in the least by a chance encounter with the resident rodents or perhaps catching an unpleasant whiff in the air – some of the things Venice is also known for.

Coming from Dubai, where the only walking I do is to and from my car, for me, one of the most enjoyable parts of Venice is the walking around and inevitably getting lost in all the tiny alleys. The more I walk around, the more I discover quaint cafés tucked away somewhere, or specialty stores sellng something unique. Over a short period of time, I too have developed a strong bias against the wandering tourist. I don’t have time to get stuck in a crowd of people when I could be walking to my next exciting find!

When I arrived in Venice it was at night and I felt like I had walked onto a very elaborate movie set where all the actors and crew were on break and I had been given an exclusive backstage pass. Needless to say, my favourite time of day is actually at night.

If I had to choose one thing that sums up my entire experience here, it would be the Venetian sunset. That is the one reason why, with every day that passes I find myself a little more complete, knowing that some part of me is forever embedded in the magic that is this city.

Every day for me here in Venice presents itself in the form of a new experience. Each new experience in turn is tainted with the fact that my stay will be coming to an end very shortly. With that in mind, I am really going to try to make the rest of time here in Venice count – and also of course not miss a sunset.”

“If you read a lot, nothing is as great as you’ve imagined. Venice is - Venice is better.” ~ Fran Lebowitz

* Humaid Mansoor currently works full time managing family-owned healthcare delivery centres. When he’s not at work, he is always looking for ways to indulge in his true passion – art. Follow his adventures in Venice by following @veniceinterns and #veniceinterns on instagram and twitter, as well as his personal accounts @humaidm