Bert Theis’ work Asian Pentagon refers in part to the building known as the Pentagon, the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense, in Arlington, Virginia. A symbol of the U.S. military, the Pentagon is the largest office building in the world, and a super-high security edifice. However, Theis’ Asian Pentagon, in stark contrast to the American version, is a peaceful and open structure. Without walls or a door, it is a transparent construction that looks like a three-dimensional drawing in space. As Theis says:”Everybody can enter it: the biennial visitors, the brewery workers, the residents of the neighborhood, school classes, the guests of the nearby restaurant, everybody. The pavilion is open even when the exhibition is closed and doesn’t impose limits on anyone.”

Theis previously realised the European Pentagon – Safe and Sorry pavilion, which was installed temporarily on the roof of the Palais des Beaux Arts in Brussels and is now located at the European Square in Luxembourg. The European version reminds us that the good scenario for the European Union is that it become an open and hospitable structure, rather than one of paranoia and exclusivity. Similarly, the Asian Pentagon is a proposal that underlines the right for everybody to have his or her own pentagon, to decide its form, its use and symbolic dimension.

Theis has formed an asymmetrical pentagon built with Taiwan grown bamboo and local knowledge. Circling its perimeter is a bench that includes at its centre a smaller pentagon. In total, the seating can accommodate one hundred people. The structure is an invitation, a space that offers respite, adopting temporary meanings as its existence transpires. Like many of Bert Theis’ works, the Asian Pentagon is specific to its location and is realised in an attempt to help revitalise urban life with open and hospitable structures.