Venice is sinking, and after years of failed attempts and billions of dollars invested, we have yet to find a solution. The anti-sinking workshop suggests a new approach: popular intelligence of all people residing in the city who have always heard about the Venetian sinking problem. The workshop aims to be a thinking machine, where the locals share and take part in the solving process. Filled with the common mans humbleness, but without most of the technical knowledge, they are able think outside the box, trying and failing without resentment.

“We don’t expect to solve the problem, but we want to try anyway”.

The workshop created by the artist Carlo Gambirasio and curated by Irene Angenica and Marco Bianchessi will be held in collaboration with Urbonas Studio(http://www.nugu.lt/us/) and will take place inside the Lithuanian pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale. It will last approximately an hour and a half and will be repeated twice a day, on 24th and 25th of September 2018. The workshop will start with a introduction, as short as possible, managed by experts. Alice Staro will explain the venetian backdrop. Andrea Biffi will talk about the flora and the fauna under Venice. After this introduction we will ask the participants to draw a utopian idea aiming to solve the sinking problem. At the end of the workshops, all projects will be given to the technicians that are working to solve Venice’s problem.

The project will involve:

-A class from a venetian primary school, Scuola Elementare Armando Diaz
-A senior center, gruppo Anziani Autogestito Giudecca
-The venetian islamic cultural center