jakob+macfarlane’s modular display re-stages venice biennale’s french pavilion in orléans

‘living with’ in dialogue with radical architecture history

Originally conceived for the French Pavilion at the 19th Venice Architecture Biennale, Living With is presented at the Frac Centre-Val de Loire in Orléans, where it is recontextualized within the institution’s extensive collection of experimental architecture. The exhibition, developed by Dominique Jakob and Brendan MacFarlane, Jakob+MacFarlane, in collaboration with Eric Daniel-Lacombe and Martin Duplantier, has previously been shown in Belém, São Paulo, and Chicago, with further presentations planned in New Zealand and Los Angeles.

At Frac Centre-Val de Loire, the exhibition establishes a dialogue between contemporary research and historical experimental practices. Reused panels from the Venice installation are integrated with works from the collection, bringing together radical proposals from the 1960s and 1970s alongside current responses to climatic and political conditions. The selection includes projects by Superstudio, Gianni Pettena, Yona Friedman, Guy Rottier, and environmental-focused practitioners such as James Wines (SITE), Graham Stevens, and Günther Domenig with Eilfried Huth. The curatorial approach positions earlier speculative work in relation to present-day design inquiries, highlighting continuities in architectural experimentation.

Living With exhibition installed at Frac Centre-Val de Loire in Orléans | all images by Martin Argyroglo

a reusable kit-of-parts system reshapes venice pavilion display

The exhibition design, developed by architects Jakob+MacFarlane, is based on a modular system composed of vertical and horizontal plywood panels supported by tower-like structures. This system is fully demountable and reusable, extending the ‘open framework’ principle developed for the Venice pavilion. Designed as a flexible kit of parts, it has been adapted across multiple contexts, including previous installations at the Chicago Architecture Biennial and Prince Sultan University in Riyadh.

In Orléans, the presentation also includes a section dedicated to the development of the Venice pavilion, featuring sketches and engineering studies that document the integration of the historic French Pavilion, under renovation at the time, into the exhibition concept.

reused panels from the Venice Architecture Biennale reassembled in a new context

exhibition design adapts to the existing architecture of the Frac Centre

historical and contemporary projects presented in direct dialogue

vertical and horizontal panels form an adaptable display system

tower-like frames support printed exhibition surfaces

contemporary research presented alongside archival experimental works

open framework system allows flexible spatial configurations

printed panels create a continuous visual narrative across the space

kit-of-parts system reused across multiple international venues

project info:

name: Living With exhibition at Frac Centre-Val de Loire

exhibition designer: Jakob+Macfarlane | @jakobmacfarlane

venue: Frac Centre-Val de Loire | @fraccentre

original exhibition: French Pavilion at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia

associated events: Bourges 2028, European Capital of Culture, and the New European Bauhaus Festival, European Commission 

exhibition dates: open through August 23rd, 2026

location: Frac Centre-Val de Loire, Orléans, France

curators: Dominique Jakob, Brendan MacFarlane, Martin Duplantier, Éric Daniel-Lacombe

graphic designer: Léo Grunstein

lighting: Tiphaine Monroty Frac

Centre-Val de Loire:

president: Carole Canette

director: Christelle Kirchstetter

administrator: Stéphane Lachaud

team: Natália Alves-Milotti, Emma Barada, Anne-Gaëlle Beaugendre, Marine Bichon, Prisca Cerneaux, Mathilde Cordonnier, Ana Rita da Costa Moura, Élise Debacker, André Dumontet-Bibé, Coralie Dunou, Perrine Galopin, Géraldine Juillard, Caroline Knecht, Johanna Meynard, Chantal Munzungu Kihonia, Nelly Perrier de La Bâthie, Céline Raiffé, Morgane Rodriguez, Audrey Sainmont, Yolande Tanoh, Eugénie Vaysse et Vincent Villessot

collaborator: Jonathan Sitthiphonh

photographer: Martin Argyroglo | @martinargyroglo