Peter Cook was selected to curate the IXth Biennale of Architecture in Venice. Nine Positions was an exhibition of nine British architectural practices brought together to demonstrate that British architectural strength lies in a combination of distinct ideas and methodologies. Cook’s aim was to get the architects to speak for themselves.

For the show, nine architects – Future Systems, Ian Ritchie, Kathryn Findlay, Ron Arad, Caruso St John, CJ Lim, Richard Murphy, John Pawson and Cook himself, working with Gavin Robotham – built, drew, modelled and talked around previously unseen material. Some of the more unusual exhibits included Cook & Rowbotham’s tomato garden, Ron Arad’s extraordinary interactive Corian wall, the padded phosphor-bronze mesh skin of Ian Ritchie’s Plymouth workshop and CJ Lim’s exquisite 3D drawings.

12 September – 7 November 2004