Experience the Nordic Pavilion with Genelec Audio at Biennale Architettura 2025 in Venice
Industry Muscle: Five Scores for Architecture explores the modernist built environment through the lens of trans embodiment. Combining architecture, performance and installation, the exhibition proposes five speculative scores for the architecture of the future. It examines modern architecture and the built environment, establishing a dialogue with the celebrated architecture of the Nordic Countries Pavilion, designed by Sverre Fehn and completed in 1962. By contrasting Fehn’s canonical work of modernism against an alternative model for architectural practice that takes the trans body as its starting point, the exhibition offers insights into the relationships between architecture, the body and ecological collapse. Teo Ala-Ruona is an interdisciplinary artist based in Helsinki, working internationally within the expanded field of performance.
Teo Ala-Ruona explains,
“The role of sound in Industry Muscle is important to me. Since I am a performance artist, I always work with sound. In this exhibition, sound – as a spatial element – ties this entire exhibition together into a kind of worldly whole. In the sound, you can actually hear human voices, the sounds of the human body, which were recorded during the performance rehearsals, and on the other hand, also various mechanical and industrial sounds, which were recorded at the concrete factory where a large part of the work was created. I think that the sound is a kind of thematic, but also an affective and truly physical part of this work. And also, those Genelec speakers themselves, which are made of aluminium, I feel that they are completely aesthetically in line with the world that we have. But the most important thing, of course, is that it is sonically interesting. It kind of moves the viewer from one space to another. I'm really proud of that.”
Genelec is delighted to support this visionary project, enriching the installation with sound and technology that connects visitors to a truly multi-sensory experience. To bring the concept to life, Genelec provided an advanced audio system for both the installation and the supporting performances — creating an immersive soundscape and integrating seamlessly with the design through the use of Genelec 8020D and 8040B active two-way monitors in the RAW aluminium finish.
About La Biennale di Venezia
The International Architecture Exhibition has been organised in Venice since 1980. It alternates with the International Art Exhibition, which was established in 1895. The Biennale Architettura has developed into the most esteemed international arena for showcasing architecture, with almost 300,000 visitors in the last edition in 2023. In 2025, the exhibition opened to the public on 10 May and remains open until 23 November 2025.
About the Nordic Countries Pavilion
Designed by Sverre Fehn in 1962, the Nordic Countries Pavilion is a masterpiece in Venice's Giardini Park. The Nordic Countries Pavilion is commissioned by an alliance formed of Architecture & Design Museum Helsinki (Finland), The National Museum of Norway and ArkDes (Sweden). The three commissioning bodies rotate the leadership of the commissioning process, which for the 19th International Architecture Exhibition has been led by Architecture & Design Museum Helsinki.
About Architecture and Design Museum Helsinki
Architecture & Design Museum Helsinki is a major cultural institution dedicated to showcasing Finnish and international achievements in the field. As of 2024, it was formed by merging the Museum of Finnish Architecture and the Design Museum, bringing together their extensive collections and exhibitions. It currently operates from two historic buildings in Helsinki’s Kaartinkaupunki district – offering a joint programme of exhibitions, a library, and public programmes. Looking ahead, a new purpose-built museum on the South Harbour waterfront (Makasiiniranta) is planned to open around 2030, following an international design competition.
Read more about the installation here
