Venice Biennale Update

I am now back in London following the most beautiful summer at the Venice Biennale, followed by some travelling in Italy and Greece. Sitting here in the library in dreary, (unseasonably) cold London, it already feels a million miles away. I’ve been back for two weeks and I’m slowly trying to adjust back to London’s rhythms and process this amazing adventure that I’ve been on.

Venice was more than I imagined it would be – more beautiful, more busy and more watery. I mostly documented my time there instantly via Instagram. There is so much going on during the Biennale period that I wanted to see everything and really live in the city, rather than sequestering myself away to write about it. I also took this approach to my project and research work. While I had an initial idea of some spaces and organisations that I wanted to check out, I also wanted to immerse myself in Venice and let it reveal itself to me. I think in Venice, there is a feeling that many people come with their own preconceived ideas and images they have seen, and that many of them will leave without going much deeper than this. 

Instead, I wanted to see what Venice really had to say. In best flâneuse tradition, I set out to walk around aimlessly, hoping to stumble across some hidden gems. I was thwarted on multiple fronts. Firstly, the heat and humidity of July was not my friend. Once you are lost in the centre of the main Venice island, it is a considerable walk to any of the vaporetto (public boat) stops that only operate around the island's exterior and up the main Grand Canal. Talking of canals, I hadn’t really factored those in either. Unlikely most cities where if you have a decent sense of direction you can look at a map and decide to head in a general direction, the canals in Venice make this pretty difficult as you often find yourself at dead-end streets that open out onto the canal with no bridge. The streets are also narrow and meandering, often taking you on U-turns. The other big problem I encountered was the admirable yet inconvenient tendency of the Italians to shut up shop in July and August. While the Biennale and associated events are in full swing, many of the organisations that are for the residents and student communities take their vacations. 

So altogether a tricky task. Yet, somehow, I managed it. For one beautiful month, I felt that I (frantically) lived in Venice. I met many wonderful friends and guides who gladly led me into the labyrinth; and in truth, I’m a little regretful that they let me escape.