Designer Mac Collins is among those exhibiting works at the British Pavilion at this year's Venice Architecture Biennale, which celebrates how global diasporic communities design space.

The pavilion responds to the theme of the 18th Venice Architecture Biennale, Laboratory of the Future, which has been curated by architect and academic Lesley Lokko and explores decolonisation and decarbonisation.

The British Pavilion has been curated by founding director of architecture studio JA Projects Jayden Ali and Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) curator Meneesha Kellay, alongside Sound Advice co-founder Joseph Henry and Crafts Council head of public programmes Sumitra Upham, to illustrate how "diasporic communities design, organise and occupy space".

In turn, they hope the pavilion will showcase the "incredible diversity we experience in Britain every day" while turning focus away from the usual traditions that define the built environment.

"We wanted to make sure our pavilion responded directly to Lesley Lokko's curatorial vision for the Laboratory of the Future," Sound Advice co-founder Henry told Dezeen.

"We did this by inviting artists and designers of the diaspora to show work in the pavilion."

"Our ambition is for the pavilion to be a space of possibilities," added V&A curator Kellay.

"A space that shifts the gaze on which behaviours and traditions are prioritised in the built environment and to celebrate how diasporic communities design, organise and occupy space."

Commissioned by cultural organisation the British Council, this year's British Pavilion includes works by artists and designers of the diaspora including designer Collins and architect Yussef Agbo-Ola.

The designers were chosen for the ways in which their work draws on the traditions from different communities around the world, the curators said.

"Each installation, grounded in materials and making, acknowledges everyday rituals from different global settings that resist governing powers and create space for multiple perspectives," said Upham.

"We would like visitors to come away with a sense of curiosity and openness to learning about and appreciating how other cultures contribute to the production of space," added Kellay. "They may recognise parallels or similarities with their own cultural specificities."

Collins' work aims to explore the pride that British-Jamaican communities have built around their culture, while Agbo-Ola spotlights the architecture and textile traditions of both Cherokee and Yoruba people.

Elsewhere, Madhav Kidao of Nebbia Works presents work representing the Hindu and Buddhist belief in the afterlife and artist Sandra Poulson shines a light on outdoor cleansing and its ties to socioeconomic status. Finally, artist Shawanda Corbett's work examines the spiritual practices of the American South.

Alongside these exhibits, the curators have also developed their own installation – a large cinematic installation and film in the pavilion's main hall.

With this, the team aims to highlight "the central role that rituals play in reflecting the traditions and community values of people living in the UK", with a particular focus on "the energy of South Asian, Caribbean and African communities".

"Throughout the project, we worked to make sure we were all given space to work on the parts of the pavilion that interested us but also where we have professional experience," concluded Henry.

"We also encouraged each other to work beyond the role of curator which is why we ended up making some of the work ourselves."

Diversity has played a key role in the curation of this year's Venice Architecture Biennale, with Lokko placing Africa at the fore for the first time and with more than half the biennale's 89 participants hailing from Africa or the African diaspora.

Sustainability has also been an important part of this year's event, with organisers aiming to achieve carbon neutrality according to the international standard PAS2060.

To align with this, the curators of the British Pavilion have ensured their work can be reused after the event concludes in November.

"The majority of the exhibition is made up of large objects that were commissioned especially for the show," said Ali.

"They won't end up being disposed of but will return to Britain to be rehoused or rehomed," he continued. "As such, they challenge the wastefulness of exhibitions as they have inherent longevity to them."

"We kept the other build elements such as plinths and screens to the absolute minimum. Where they do exist, we took care to design for disassembly and reuse."

This year's US Pavilion was curated by SPACES executive director Tizziana Baldenebro and Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland curator Lauren Leving, while the Finnish Pavilion declared "the death of the flushing toilet".

The photography is by Taran Wilkhu and the video is by Templo.

The Venice Architecture Biennale takes place from 20 May to 26 November 2023. See Dezeen Events Guide for all the latest information you need to know to attend the event, as well as a list of other architecture and design events taking place around the world.