BIG Presents ‘Ancient Future’ at La Biennale Architettura 2025

At the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, curated by Carlo Ratti, BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group showcases its latest installation: Ancient Future: Bridging Bhutan’s Tradition and Innovation. Presented at the Arsenale di Venezia until November 23, 2025, the exhibit brings to life the design of Bhutan’s forthcoming Gelephu International Airport through a unique convergence of traditional craftsmanship and advanced robotic technology.

Ancient Future centers on the intricate tradition of Bhutanese woodcarving and demonstrates how it can be adapted and scaled through modern fabrication methods. At the heart of the exhibition are four 3.5-meter-long glulam timber beams, produced in Denmark. These beams are a full-scale prototype of the diamond-patterned diagrid architecture that will define the Gelephu Airport. Two beams are being hand-carved by Bhutanese artisans, Sangay Thsering and Yeshi Gyeltshen, using ancient techniques. The remaining two beams are shaped by a robotic milling arm, replicating the same motifs.

This side-by-side demonstration reveals not a competition but a dialogue. As BIG Partner Giulia Frittoli explains, “The Ancient Future exhibition is about how tradition can evolve without being lost. One of the most striking moments in the process has been seeing a piece of wood carved by hand placed next to one carved by machine. You can tell the difference – but it’s not about one replacing the other. It’s about how they can support each other. Machine intelligence allows craft to be scaled, but the artistry and the ideas remain rooted in human hands. The artworks created by local Bhutanese artists reflect the past, present, and future of Bhutan.

They show how spirituality, embedded in architecture, carries stories forward and keeps heritage alive within contemporary urban development. This is the synergy we are exploring: by working with machines, we can make architecture more human. Rather than separating heritage and modernity, Ancient Future looks at how the two can grow side by side.”

Dragons as Symbols of Temporal Identity

Deeply embedded in the wooden beams is a powerful symbol: the dragon, which is central to Bhutanese national identity. For this exhibition, three dragons were carved, each representing a different temporal dimension of Bhutan’s journey. The past is symbolised by a dragon clutching jewels, evoking the nation’s natural beauty and the guidance of its monarchs.

The present is illustrated through a dragon holding a Buddhist Dharma Wheel, reflecting Bhutan’s transformative moment and the development of the Gelephu Mindfulness City. The future is represented by a dragon bearing the Double Vajra, a symbol of resilience, stability, and spiritual evolution.

Bjarke Ingels, Founder and Creative Director of BIG, frames the installation as a radical but respectful experiment. “Our installation for the Biennale Architettura 2025 embodies the oxymoron of Ancient Future through a live collaboration between a Bhutanese woodcarver and a robotic milling arm. Rooted in our work for the Gelephu International Airport, the piece explores how ancestral craft and advanced technology can co-author architecture. Rather than replacing tradition, machine intelligence becomes its partner – bridging past and future, intuition and algorithm, and ritual and precision.

“This is not a clash but a convergence, where the traditional adornment of the airport’s mass timber superstructure is simultaneously old school and cutting-edge – heritage and aspiration. The installation reflects the bifurcated explorations that are drawing us in seemingly opposite directions at the same time – deeper into the past and further into the future – and how those two opposing paths may lead us to the same place. The future, paradoxically, may only be truly visionary when it remembers the past.”

A Documentary Portrait of Collaboration

Accompanying the live exhibition is a documentary film directed by Laurian Ghinitoiu and Arata Mori. This cinematic piece captures the essence of the creative process, alternating between the movements of artisans and machines. It blends sounds and gestures, juxtaposing traditional Bhutanese music, architecture, and dance with the robotic rhythm of contemporary fabrication. The resulting visual choreography is a meditation on the synthesis of code and craft, of ancestral rhythm and algorithmic precision. Music for the film is composed by Yu Miyashita, with sound design by Rob Walker.

Looking Beyond the Exhibition

Ancient Future invites visitors to consider a world where heritage and modernity are not at odds but in concert. Through its architectural prototype and cinematic storytelling, it opens a vision where machines amplify human artistry rather than diminish it. The completed beams will eventually travel to Bhutan, where they will become part of the Gelephu International Airport’s construction set to begin this winter. Located at the foothills of the Himalayas, the airport is part of the broader Gelephu Mindfulness City masterplan, developed by BIG in collaboration with Arup.

Project Details:

• Collaborators: Integrated Wood Processing Plant Thimphu, FlexWood, ABB Robotics, CNC Fabrikken, Bang & Olufsen, Arteria, Brick Visual
• BIG Partner-in-Charge: Bjarke Ingels, Giulia Frittoli
• BIG Team: Luca Nicoletti, Filippo Dozzi, Filippo Cartapani, Kai-Uwe Bergmann, Anna Küfner, Anders Holden Deleuran, Alexandra Marie Gezelle, Camilla Trolle Lind, Michael Hagelund Hjorth, Lewis Edwards
• Image Credits: BIG team
• Integrated Wood Processing Plant Thimphu Team: Sangay Thsering, Yeshi Gyeltshen, Tashi Penjor, Ngawang Tshomo, Ugyen Doya, Tshewang Tezin
• Film Credits: Directors: Laurian Ghinițoiu, Arata Mori Music Composer: Yu Miyashita Sound Design: Rob Walker