Smout Allen Exhibit 'Ascents: Events: Implements' at Venice Biennale

Professors Laura Allen and Mark Smout will exhibit their collaborative installation, Ascents: Events: Implements, at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition in Venice. Developed in partnership with modem (Kathryn Moll and Nicholas de Monchaux), the project takes its conceptual starting point from NASA image AS17-148-22727 – the iconic ‘Blue Marble’ photograph captured by the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.  

One of the most widely circulated images in history, the photograph presents a complete view of Earth, prompting reflection on the planet as a shared, finite environment. While often interpreted as a symbol of individual agency, the image equally foregrounds the collaborative nature of human achievement.

The installation comprises twelve speculative instruments, drawing on the material and formal language of the Apollo programme – including the matte black, anti-reflective surface of the Hasselblad 500C camera used to record the ‘Blue Marble’. The instruments, accompanied by detailed drawings and speculative models, propose a reimagining of tools not as devices of individual utility, but as instruments of collective agency and environmental responsibility. 

Ascents: Events: Implements invites a reconsideration of the ‘whole Earth’ not simply as a visual artifact, but as a condition that demands shared action. It suggests an alternative model of design – one in which tools are conceived to sustain ecological systems and support future generations through cooperative use and intent. 

This project is jointly supported by The Bartlett, UCL and MIT Architecture. It is Smout Allen’s fourth major commission for the Venice Architecture Biennale. Previous entries include BELA for the 2012 British Pavilion, Infractus in 2016 for the V&A and Rescue Lines in the International Pavilion in 2020.  

For more information about these and other projects visit smoutallen.com or follow @smoutallen.