Spatial Enactments: Performance as Architecture
Alessandro Pasero is an architect and researcher. His practice moves between architecture, installation and performance.
He has been trained as an architect at Salottobuono (2021-2023) and has worked with several international architecture offices. During that time, he has designed pavilions and stages for cultural manifestations such as “Concentrico – Logroño's International Architecture and Design Festival” (A dome, 2021), “Horst Arts & Music Festival” in Brussel (Rotunda, 2022) and Terraforma (Banquet, 2023). Since 2023, he collaborates with Christ & Gantenbein office on exhibition design projects (Paris International art fair and GTA Exhibition at the ETH Zurich).
He has been teaching assistant at the Faculty of Architecture in Genoa, Politecnico di Milano, Domus Academy; lecturer at NABA and ETSAM (Madrid) and studio leader at the Venice Studio organized by the Melbourne School of Architecture.
In 2024 he has been a resident fellow at “Domaine de Boisbuchet International Research Center for Design and Architecture” in Lessac (FR).
Currently, he’s a PhD candidate at the Department of Architecture and Urban Studies of Politecnico di Milano and researcher of the Study Center of Milano Triennale. He’s participated in the 24th Triennale Milano International Exhibition as research assistant of Beatriz Colomina and Mark Wigley (We The Bacteria. Notes Toward Biotic Architecture).
His work has been showcased at the “Architecture Festival of Rome” (2022), “Dropcity Center for Architecture and Design” (Milan Arch Week 2024), the Italian Pavilion at the 19th Venice Architecture Biennial (2025) and the Nomadic Armenian Architecture Biennial in Yerevan (2025, forthcoming).
A research project aiming to explore performance as a mode of architectural practice and a form of architectural production in the 21st century.
By surveying contemporary practices across the world and through a design-driven approach, this project investigates “architectural performance” as site-specific interventions to display critical issues.
It seems that against the slowness of architecture, performance acts swift and loudly, raising awareness, creating debates, displaying urgent topics of and around the architectural debate.
Performance serves as a critical lens to unpack a situation and uncover hidden agendas inscribed within the built environment. Moving across themes such as the consequences of the built environment (extractivism and pollution), environmental justice, minorities representations and rights, urban space’s multiculturalism, new forms of domesticity and the political agency of architecture among others, this “open-ended medium” can be used by practitioners producing critical intervention, new imaginaries and criticism.
Emerging from an ongoing PhD research, this proposal presents a reflection on “performance” as architectural medium to display, deconstruct, dismantles narratives and contexts.
Through the LINA Fellowship, this design driven research framework aims to enhance its public dialogue and dissemination through workshops, seminars and publications.