BIG's 'ancient future' fuses hand-carving and robotics at venice biennale 2025

hands and code co-operate for big’s venice biennale exhibition

At Venice Architecture Biennale 2025, Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) unveils Ancient Future: Bridging Bhutan’s Tradition and Innovation, an immersive exhibition that combines ancestral woodcraft with robotic precision to reimagine the future of Bhutanese architecture. Set inside the Arsenale and curated by Carlo Ratti under the theme Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective., the installation is anchored in the design of the upcoming Gelephu International Airport, a key part of Bhutan’s visionary Mindfulness City masterplan (find designboom’s previous coverage here). The project showcases live woodcarving with Bhutanese artisans and a robotic arm simultaneously etching identical motifs into glulam timber beams in a 1:1 prototype of the airport’s diagrid structure, a literal and symbolic meeting of hands and code.

images courtesy of BIG

The gelephu international airport anchors ancient future

The choreography of the process showcased in BIG’s Venice Biennale exhibition, is also captured in a documentary by Laurian Ghinitoiu and Arata Mori. Alternating between scenes of traditional craftsmanship and robotic movement, the film draws visual and sonic parallels between the two, weaving Bhutanese music, architecture, and dance into what the international design firm calls a ‘ballet of craft and code.’

Central to the installation of Ancient Future are four glulam beams produced in Denmark. Two are meticulously hand-carved by Bhutanese artisans Sangay Thsering and Yeshi Gyeltshen, while the other two are shaped by a robotic milling arm that mimics their designs. The juxtaposition invites visitors to examine the subtle differences, not as a question of superiority, but of collaboration. ‘Machine intelligence allows craft to be scaled, but the artistry and ideas remain rooted in human hands,’ says BIG partner Giulia Frittoli. ‘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.’

the exhibition combines ancestral woodcraft with robotic precision

timber dragons represent past, present and future

A trio of timber dragons, each created by Bhutanese artists, represent the past, present, and future of the nation. The traditional dragon, clutching jewels, reflects Bhutan’s spiritual heritage and natural abundance. The present, holding a Buddhist Dharma Wheel, marks Bhutan’s transition through the Gelephu Mindfulness City. And the futuristic dragon, bearing a Double Vajra, symbolizes a future rooted in resilience, harmony, and a holistic vision of growth.

Bjarke Ingels describes the work as a living oxymoron, ancient and futuristic, intuitive and algorithmic, ritualistic and robotic. ‘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.’ he shares.

the project showcases live woodcarving with Bhutanese artisans and a robotic arm

etching identical motifs into glulam timber beams in a 1:1 prototype of the airport’s diagrid structure

a literal and symbolic meeting of hands and code

the four glulam beams are produced in Denmark

two of the beams are meticulously hand-carved by Bhutanese artisans Sangay Thsering and Yeshi Gyeltshen

the other two are shaped by a robotic milling arm that mimics their designs

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the traditional dragon reflects Bhutan’s spiritual heritage and natural abundance

ancient and futuristic, intuitive and algorithmic, ritualistic and robotic

the choreography of the process is also captured in a documentary by Laurian Ghinitoiu and Arata Mori

 

project info:  

name: Ancient Future: Bridging Bhutan’s Tradition and Innovation

architect: Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) | @big_builds

exhibition: Venice Architecture Biennale 2025

location: Arsenale, Venice, Italy

collaborators: Integrated Wood Processing Plant Thimphu, FlexWood, ABB Robotics, CNC Fabrikken, Bang & Olufsen, Arteria, Brick Visual

design team: Bjarke Ingels (Partner in Charge), Giulia Frittoli (Partner), 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

bhutanese artisans: Sangay Thsering, Yeshi Gyeltshen, Tashi Penjor, Ngawang Tshomo, Ugyen Doya, Tshewang Tezin

film directors: Laurian Ghinițoiu, Arata Mori

film music: Yu Miyashita

film sound design: Rob Walker

supported by: The Bhutan Foundation, Pro Bhutan e.V., Roca, Schindler, Rockwool, Artemide, Tvitec | Cricursa, Vitra, Squint/Opera, NACO, StructureCraft, Turner Construction