The Chicago Architecture Biennial (CAB) has announced the theme and Artistic Directors for its upcoming fifth edition.

Under the title This is a Rehearsal, local artist collective Floating Museum will be tasked with explaining how "contemporary environmental, political, and economic issues are shared across national boundaries but are addressed differently around the world through art, architecture, infrastructure, and civic participation."

Co-directors Jeremiah Hulsebos-Spofford, Faheem Majeed, Andrew Schachman, and Avery R. Young comprise the leadership of the eight-member collective. Together, they will leverage past site-specific installations, public programs, and other kinds of projects their community-based practice has experimented in with the aim of highlighting "divergent interpretations of infrastructure, history, and the role of aesthetics as a mode for expanding how we frame the relationship between our environments and ourselves."

"We view this as a tremendous chance to coordinate exchanges between Chicago networks and practitioners around the world," the collective said at the announcement. "We see this as a platform where work happening in Chicago can inform work happening elsewhere, and reciprocally, where work happening around the world can inspire work happening here."

The most recent edition of the influential Biennial provided an urgent look at The Available City at a time when Chicago itself is being recast through the work of community activists and designers like Theaster Gates, David Adjaye, and others. The fifth CAB will therefore look to expand on its existing exhibition and program model with partners like the city's Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) and a slate of architectural collaborations that will be unveiled in the coming months. 

A new event called the Chicago Design Summit will kick off the Biennial in November, co-sponsored by the Graham Foundation and National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The CAB shares that the Summit will serve as a forum through which the development of its multifaceted program can be examined. As in past years, CAB 5 will feature a "broad spectrum" of local and global designers which has recently included contributions from SOM/Michigan's Taubman College, Point Supreme, and local favorite Jeanne Gang. 

"Developing the supportive infrastructure of our city — both in terms of the physical infrastructure and public programs — are a top priority for my administration and presents unique opportunities to uplift our historically underserved communities," Mayor Lori Lightfoot said in a statement. "Under the direction of the artistic team, which has already undertaken ambitious projects to creatively support and promote our city, the 2023 Chicago Architecture Biennial will bring innovative ideas and projects to life, as well as spark important dialogue here in Chicago."