Dirk Somers, founder of Antwerp studio Bovenbouw Architectuur, created a "fictional, yet recognisable" Flemish city named Composite Presence for the Belgian Pavilion at this year's Venice Architecture Biennale.
Composite Presence was constructed from 50 models of recent projects in Brussels and Flanders ? a region in northern Belgium ? that were completed by 45 contemporary architecture studios that are displayed at 7:100 scale.
The models have been placed together in miniature neighbourhoods that visitors to the Venice Architecture Biennale can walk amongst to experience the fantasy city.
The exhibition contains models of buildings by 45 studios
"The scenography explores how architecture steps in those places that grew in a more informal and unintentional manner," Bovenbouw Architectuur founder Somers told Dezeen. "We explore how architecture can compensate in places where urbanism came a bit too late," he added.
"The selection does not display a top 50. Rather we went looking for projects that stem from the informal and highly mixed cities we know in Flanders."
A number of different architectural styles are represented
Some of the projects on display are new buildings while others are refurbishments, but all were chosen to represent visual themes that are common in Flanders.
"We call the model landscape a capriccio, after Canaletto's paintings that took buildings from different cities to compose fictional urban scenes,"...