{"id":125430,"date":"2025-10-08T09:22:12","date_gmt":"2025-10-08T08:22:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/landezine.com\/?p=125430"},"modified":"2025-10-13T06:05:28","modified_gmt":"2025-10-13T05:05:28","slug":"marina-cervera-on-the-evolving-barcelona-landscape-biennial-and-its-upcoming-13th-edition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/landezine.com\/marina-cervera-on-the-evolving-barcelona-landscape-biennial-and-its-upcoming-13th-edition\/","title":{"rendered":"Marina Cervera on the Evolving Barcelona Landscape Biennial and Its Upcoming 13th Edition"},"content":{"rendered":"

Between 17 and 21 November 2025, the 13th International Landscape Biennial of Barcelona<\/a> will take place under the motto Natural Intelligence<\/em>. Since its beginnings in 1999, the Biennial<\/a> has become one of the most significant international platforms for landscape architecture \u2014 a space where practice, research, and education converge.<\/p>\n

We spoke with Marina Cervera, executive director and long-standing organiser of the Biennial, about its twenty-year evolution, its expanding role as a global meeting point, and the challenges of curating a programme that mirrors the discipline\u2019s shifting focus \u2014 from aesthetics to systems, from design to ecology, from the human to the more-than-human.<\/p>\n

You have been on the board and the organisational leader of the International Landscape Biennial of Barcelona since its 3rd Edition. Now we are expecting 13th. What has grown in these 10 editions, 20 years? What has changed?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I’ve been involved in the project since its 3rd edition, but in very different positions, essentially growing alongside the biennial itself. I started as a volunteer in that 3rd edition, then coordinated the 4th catalogue, moved on to coordinating the event itself, and eventually joined the scientific committee from the 7th edition onwards. For the last three editions, I’ve been part of the executive direction.<\/p>\n

From this privileged vantage point, I’ve witnessed its evolution from a small academic event held in a university hall to a truly professional international initiative. I’d like to think I’ve contributed to this process, particularly in helping its transition from a primarily European event to an international one, and in trying to innovate with each new edition.<\/p>\n

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“We’ve seen landscape architecture mature from a discipline focused on design aesthetics to one addressing systemic challenges\u2014climate adaptation, ecological restoration, social equity.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

What guides us in this journey is our commitment to adapting\u2014and if possible, anticipating\u2014the academic and professional realities of our field. As a non-profit organization, our aim has always been to contribute to the articulation of landscape architecture in society and to serve as a useful communication tool for our community. This mission has remained constant even as the scale and scope have transformed dramatically.<\/p>\n

Over these 20 years, we’ve seen landscape architecture itself mature from a discipline focused on design aesthetics to one addressing systemic challenges\u2014climate adaptation, ecological restoration, social equity. The biennial has both reflected and contributed to this evolution.<\/p>\n

In terms of venue, we’ve evolved from a university hall to the Petit Palau in the Catalan Music Palace\u2014an amazing art deco venue that hosts us in a privileged manner in the core of Barcelona’s old town. The setting itself signals our transformation into a truly international professional platform while remaining rooted in Barcelona’s cultural heritage.<\/p>\n