Venice bound: (From left) Emil Sinclair, Ruan Mills, Belinda Tissink, Kate Broumels, Danielle Chaplin, Katherine Bleazard, and Tommy Trail.

Seven postgraduate students from the School of Architecture have been selected to represent South Africa at the 10th International Architecture Biennale in Venice from October 9 to November 9.

The students are Emil Sinclair, Ruan Mills, Belinda Tissink, Kate Broumels, Danielle Chaplin, Katherine Bleazard, and Tommy Trail.

The group will co-ordinate the design and installation of the exhibition, which will represent UCT as well as the universities of Witwatersrand, Pretoria and Maputo.

The theme of this year's biennale is Cities: Society and Architecture and it will focus on the key factors facing large-scale metropolitan areas around the world, from migration to mobility, from social integration to sustainable growth.

In an official statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs described the significance of their participation in the event. "South Africa is the first African country to be officially invited to participate in this prestigious bi-annual event that has an attendance of over 100 000 visitors and 3 000 accredited journalists from around the world."

The students are now actively raising funds to contribute towards return airfare, accommodation and living costs.

For more information about the biennale or about contributing to funding the trip please contact Mary Hilton on (021) 650 4108.