Located in the second room of the Corderie at the Arsenale, the project responds to the dual reality of unprecedented global population rise and an anticipated decline due to falling fertility rates. It speculates on alternative, adaptive models for cohabitation inspired by microbial systems that have thrived collaboratively for billions of years.

Architect Patricia Urquiola’s sculptural centrepiece—a steep hill formed from 1500 Cimento® modular bricks—renders 5,000 years of human population data into physical form. The material incorporates elements from the Venetian lagoon, including recycled glass, algae, and organic matter, reinforcing the installation’s themes of regeneration and interdependence.

Crossing the crest, visitors encounter a grotto inhabited by germinating mosses and floating petri dishes that reflect on microbial ‘cities.’ This immersive environment considers how architecture might evolve by learning from trans-species intelligence—challenging the human-centric narrative and suggesting a new, hybridised model for planetary life.