Fondazione Prada Presents “Diagrams” by AMO/OMA

Infographics have accompanied Rem Koolhaas and his architecture firm OMA from the very beginning. Many of his early projects resemble built functional diagrams. Koolhaas recalls: “Complex ideas are almost an intellectual or sometimes artistic pleasure, and they became a driving element in what we were trying to do. In this context, diagrams were incredibly helpful. By researching and designing them, we were trying to form a space or to define another architecture, the form of which required an enormous amount of argument and articulation.”

Cornelius Hugh De Witt: Sankey diagram of the product flows and food waste generated along the food supply chain in Europe in 2011, 2019. In Carla Caldeira, Valeria De Laurentiis, Sara Corrado, Freija van Holsteijn, Serenella Sala, “Quantification of Food Waste per Product Group along the Food Supply Chain in the European Union: a mass flow analysis”, in “Elseiver.” Resources, Conservation and Recycling, vol. 149 (October 2019), modified from VHK, Kemna et al., 2017, Courtesy VHK © VHK for European Commission 2016 Source: VHK, Kemna et al., 2017

Although Koolhaas now finds it easier to argue for his own designs, his intellectual interest in diagrams remains. His architecture firm and its think tank alter ego, AMO, were therefore the ideal partners for the Fondazione Prada in Venice on its “Diagrams” exhibition project. More than 300 exhibits spanning eight centuries are on display at Ca' Corner della Regina on the south bank of the Grand Canal until 24 November. These include Chinese representations of the circulatory system, historical analyses of global trade relations, and contemporary diagrams of goods and waste flows within the EU.

Detailed view of the exhibition. © Marco Cappelletti; Courtesy: Fondazione Prada

The thematically structured exhibition is divided into nine areas that AMO/OMA identifies as “urgent issues” – the pressing problems of our time. These include resources, wars, health, inequality, migration, religion and the built environment. Despite their apparent objectivity, the wide range of exhibits shows that diagrams have always been a medium for spreading one's own worldview and demagoguery. This is illustrated by two display cases positioned opposite each other in the exhibition hall in Venice. One contains diagrams by the American sociologist W. E. B. Du Bois, who researched the history of racial discrimination and the abolition of slavery in the USA in the early 19th century. The “Truth” section of the exhibition, located opposite, shows how infographics have become a tool for religious activists and self-proclaimed prophets in all eras and regions of the world.

Elwin J. Woodward: Historic and prophetic diagram of the world: God’s plan of salvation for law breakers, 1912, David Rumsey Map Collection, David Rumsey Map Center, Stanford University Libraries © Courtesy David Rumsey Map Collection, David Rumsey Map Center, Stanford University Libraries 

The richness of the exhibits is measured by both their quantity and their informational content. The only drawback is that, probably for cost reasons, not all of the diagrams are originals. Many are digital photographs and some of these are reproduced so small that it is difficult to make out every detail. Overall, however, the “Diagrams” exhibition is a worthwhile addition to this year's Biennale programme for tourists visiting Venice.