N° 38–2000: ESA at the 7th International Exhibition of Architecture - Venice Biennale

The Exhibition will open for a press preview on 15 and 16 June and the formal inauguration will be held on 17 June.

The theme of the Exhibition is 'the city: less aesthetics, more ethics' and will address lifestyles for the society of the third millennium.

The Director of the Exhibition, the architect Massimiliano Fuksas, has chosen the example of space to illustrate the theme of mega-cities and the contradictions of today's world.

ESA has contributed a selection of satellite images of 50 mega-cities in the world, which have been integrated into a video production that will be shown on a screen 280 metres in length. These images include Calcutta, São Paolo, Rome, Las Vegas, Mexico City, Hong Kong, Manila, Moscow and many other cities where environmental changes linked to social conditions have created a whole range of problems.

The itinerary of the Exhibition takes in a scale model of the International Space Station, representing mankind's early efforts to set up home in space. Videos will show the preparations for completion of the station's assembly and the training of astronauts to crew it.

The project was set up with ASI, the Italian space agency, and Alenia Spazio.

ESA is organising Europe's contributions to the International Space Station: the Columbus scientific laboratory and the automated transfer vehicle.

ASI is making additional contributions of three logistics modules and nodes for interconnection of various parts of the station.

From 2004 astronauts and scientists will be working in the laboratories on the station, running scientific experiments in the fields of microgravity, life sciences, space science, materials science and communication.

Exhibition

Venezia, Giardini di Castello - Arsenale di Venezia

Corderie, Artiglierie, Gaggiandre

18 June - 29 October 2000

Press preview

15 and 16 June from 10:00 to 20:00

or:

ESA/ESRIN Public and Institutional Relations Office

Simonetta Cheli/Franca Morgia

Tel: +39 06 94180 350

Fax: +39 06 94180 302

e-mail: scheli@esrin.esa.it