Yasmeen Research Report

MA Service Experience Design & Innovation UAL: London College of Communication

Regen+ Venice

Yasmeen Bazian

Connecting exhibitors to sustainable solutions to reduce and manage exhibition material waste

Regen+ Venice

Acknowledgements I would like to express my sincere thanks to my tutor Hena Ali Naeem Khan and my teacher Cordula Findlander for supporting me on the journey to completing this project. Thank you for the British Council for giving me the opportunity to spend time in Venice where this project was born.

Thanks to We Are Here Venice for encouraging me to pursue this project, special thanks to Carolyn Smith for providing valuable research material.

As the inspiration for this project, I would like to extend my gratitude to Giulio Grillo and the Rebiennale family for the brilliant work they continue to do for the benefit of Venice, Venetians and the planet.

Disclaimer The views and thoughts expressed in this report are those of the author and do not reflect the position of any organisation or company. All sources used have been cited for acknowledgement. All human sketches used in this report were created by Alice Noir. All photography excluding the author’s own have been cited.

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Thank you to Touring Exhibitions Manager at the British Council, Rohan Stephens, for helping me understand his world and for his continuous feedback and support. Thanks to Boano Prismontas for believing in this project and their valuable feedback. Thanks to Chelsea from the V&A and to all the interviewees whose time and feedback is greatly appreciated.

Last but not least thank you to my colleagues in the MASEDI class of 2018-19 who supported me and to my amazing family for their encouragement and support.

Table of Content 14 03

Existing Services

39

Statement of Intent

Develop

15 04

Design Approach

Background and Context .04 Sustainability

and the Arts .05 Venice Art and Architecture Biennales Waste .07 UN Sustainable Development Goals Rebiennale .09 Derelict Spaces and the Housing Crisis in Venice

10 Stakeholders

.40 Design Space .41 Concept

Development .45 Co-designing .53 Prototyping .57 Testing and Feedback

98 Reflection & Conclusions

99 List of Figures

16 Discover .17 Secondary Research .19 Primary Research .26 Mapping

27 Define .28 .29 .35 .37 .38

65 Deliver .66 Iterations .67 Service Proposal .74 Testing and

Validation .89 Service Blueprint .91 Business Model .93 Value Proposition .95 SWOT

100 Bibliography

102 Appendices

Mapping Personas Key Insights Problem Statement How Might We

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Regen+ Venice

Statement of Intent This project develops a service system that supports the creative community in embedding sustainable practices into exhibition planning and management at the Venice Art and Architecture Biennales. The project targets three impact areas: 1) Waste reduction, 2) Waste management, and 3) Community partnerships.

As sustainability is a core value for many art and cultural organisations, this service acts as a tool to support organisations in transforming their values into actions.

Regen+ Venice supports artists, architects, designers, and curators in choosing sustainable materials to build their

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exhibition structures with the goal of reducing waste and minimising the negative impact on the environment.

The service also provides eco-friendly waste management solutions for exhibition managers which would ultimately save money on waste disposal costs and have a positive impact on the local community through job creation and materials donation.

Regen+ Venice is built around local community partnerships and its aim is to divert waste away from the landfill through repurposing reusable and recyclable exhibition materials towards urban regeneration projects in Venice.

Sustainability and the Arts Environmental sustainability has increasingly become an area of focus for many organisations in the arts and cultural sectors. The prevailing attitude has been largely focused on raising awareness about global climate change, however, without seriously considering the sustainability of their own practices and the carbon footprint generated by some of the activities they undertake such as productions, touring, conferences and biennales. “greening our own practice was just as (or even more) important as raising awareness about melting glaciers.” (Ostendorf, 2018)

Background and Context

The Lithuanian Pavilion at the 2019 Venice Art Biennale is just one of many exhibitions addressing the issue of climate change.

“An opera performance on an artificial beach, in which swim suited performers break from sunbathing to sing warnings of ecological disaster, revealing our frivolous inertia in front of the climate change emergency.” (Musmeci, 2019)

Figure 1: Avezzù 2019, Lithuanian Pavilion Sun & Sea (Marina) at the Venice Art Biennale

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Regen+ Venice

Venice Art and Architecture Biennales The art and architecture biennales in Venice are two of the most prestigious events in the art and architecture scenes. The events take place biennially; the art exhibition on odd numbered years and the architecture exhibition on even numbered years.

Both events attract a large number of exhibitors who flock to the city to exhibit their work for seven consecutive months.

615,000 Visitors

120 Participating Artists

86 National Exhibitions

23 Collateral Events

Figure 2: Art Biennale 2017 in numbers

275,000 Visitors

71 Participating Artists

63 National Exhibitions

12 Collateral Events

Figure 3: Architecture Biennale 2018 in numbers

Waste Such large scale events come with a big environmental footprint. There are no official figures on the amount of waste left behind from the Art and Architecture Biennales, but the 2016 architecture biennale offers some clues. The Chilean architect and main curator of the 2016 Architecture Biennale, Alejandro Aravena, built two installations comprised entirely of waste materials left over from the 2015 Venice Art Biennale.

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Figure 4: Hayes 2016 Opening halls of Biennale Architettura

By repurposing 90 tonnes of scrap metal and 10,000 meters of plasterboards, Aravera was hoping to raise awareness about the crisis created by waste generation. (Vaswani, no date) To put this amount of waste into perspective see figures 5 & 6.

Figure 5: 10,000 meters of plasterboard waste = 10 km 10 km covers the distance required to cross Venice from end to end in a zigzag

Figure 6: 90 tons of metal waste = the weight of 16 elephants

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Regen+ Venice

According to the European Commission Website:

“Construction and demolition waste (CDW) is one of the heaviest and most voluminous waste streams generated in the EU. It accounts for approximately 25% - 30% of all waste generated in the EU and consists of numerous materials, including concrete, bricks, gypsum, wood, glass, metals, plastic, solvents, asbestos and excavated soil, many of which can be recycled.� (European Commission, 2019) The waste generated from building and demolitioning exhibition structures consists of the same materials as (CDW), therefore, contributing to the waste problem.

UN Sustainable Development Goals In 2015, the United Nations General Assembly set 17 global sustainable development goals for the year 2030. The service system proposed in this project aligns with Goal 12 of the UN sustainable development goals.

Figure 7: UN goal no 12 of the Sustainable Development Goals

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Below are some of the targets that are most aligned with the service:

“12.5 By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse” (The United Nations, no date) “12.6 Encourage companies, especially large and transnational companies, to adopt sustainable practices and to integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle” (The United Nations, no date)

“12.8 By 2030, ensure that people everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature” (The United Nations, no date)

“12.B Develop and implement tools to monitor sustainable development impacts for sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and product” (The United Nations, no date)

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Regen+ Venice

Rebiennale Rebiennale is a non-profit organisation founded in 2008 as a joint collective of volunteers including Venetian citizens, activists, artists, students and architects determined to fight back the depopulation of Venice. Through collaborations with architects, Rebiennale’s goal is to learn how to self-build with scrap materials left over from biennale installations in order to refurbish abandoned places and turn them into livable spaces for Venetians who are struggling to find affordable homes due to the gentrification of Venice. (Rebiennale, no date)

Housing Crisis and Derelict Places Mass tourism has resulted in a surge in rental prices in Venice making houses unaffordable for locals and causing a mass exodus of the Venetian population.

According to statistics, there are 8,000 Airbnb rentals in Venice, a city of approximately 50,000 inhabitants.

(Mangiapane, 2019) Another issue that has exacerbated the housing crisis is the high cost of renovations required to upkeep old buildings in Venice, forcing many home and business owners to abandon their properties.

This has left local Venetians with very few options including illegally occupying abandoned places, refurbishing them and living in them.

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The Planet Local Environmental Organisations Local Charities

Stakeholders

Binnale Organisation

Exhibitors Waste Management Companies

Local Residens

Service Provider Rebiennale

Service Users Exhibitors in Venice

Local Government

Rebiennale Employees

Social Housing Charities National Pavillions

Transport Companies

Local Cultural Organisations

Storage Rentals

Future Venetian Generations

Figure 8: Stakeholder Map

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Activist Groups

Regen+ Venice

Key Stakeholders The service is jointly dependent on two core stakeholder groups for its success: 1. Exhibitors in Venice: 1.a Exhibition Managers 1.b Artists, architects, designers and curators 2. Rebiennale Employees

1.b The service provides artists, architects, designers and curators with sustainable solutions for planning greener exhibition structures.

“There needs to be a cultural shift in the way exhibitions are planned. Planning is key in ensuring a more sustainable practice” Architect, Architecture Biennale Participant

1.a The service provides exhibition managers with sustainable and cost efficient solutions for managing leftover exhibition waste.

2. The service gives Rebiennale access to reusable and recyclable materials left behind from exhibition structures. The materials would then be used for various urban regeneration projects such as refurbishing abandoned spaces.

“It’s becoming expensive to be wasteful” Exhibition Manager, Venice Art Biennale 2019

“The biennale factory”

is

like

our

Co-founder, Rebiennale

“If international exhibitions are leaving waste behind, it becomes an Italian problem” Exhibition Manager, Venice Art Biennale 2019

“We can reuse waste materials from exhibitions to refurbish abandoned places in Venice” Co-founder, Rebiennale

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Secondary Stakeholders

The Biennale Organisation and permanent National Pavilions have been identified by both the service user and the service provider as important stakeholders for their influence and reach.

The service outcomes have a direct social and economic impact on local residents whether through urban regeneration projects, employment opportunities, or community engagements.

External Stakeholders The external stakeholder groups identified are expected to affect or be affected by the service at some point in the long term. For example, social housing charities could benefit from leftover reusable materials from exhibitions for renovations or refurbishment work.

The Planet and Future Generations as Stakeholders In looking holistically at the service and its implications, it was necessary to include the planet and future generations as stakeholders.

The service provider is driven towards helping secure a better outcome for future generations of Venetians and is propelled to do so through protecting the planet and its natural resources. Thus, the planet and future generations become important stakeholders.

On the other hand, the service user (usually representing an organisation), has a corporate social and environmental responsibility towards protecting the planet and the livelihood of future generations.

The service solution will act as a tool to help achieve organisational goals.

Ian Edwards, a sustainability consultant, argued that both the planet and the future should be included in modern sustainability practice. “modern sustainability practice lacks the voices of these two critical audiences, and stakeholder theory‌. is broad enough, and creative enough to include them.â€?

(Edwards, 2015)

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Regen+ Venice

Stakeholder Analysis : Who Needs Whats?

Figure 9: Stakeholder Analysis

Low

Interest

High

Keep Completely Informed Local Residents Social Housing Charities Local Environmental Organisations

Regular Minimal Contact

Exhibition Managers Rabiennale Employees Curators, Architects, Artists, Designers

Anticipate and meet needs

Local Cultual Organisations Activist Groups Storage Rentals Local Charities

Low

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Manage Most Thoroughly

Biennale Organisation National Pavillions Local Government Transport Companies Waste Management Companies

Influence

High

There are many companies in Venice that offer waste management services. Every national pavilion or participating exhibition is responsible for hiring local services to manage their exhibition waste. The process is logistics heavy due to the complexity of transport in Venice.

There are no companies that offer similar services to Regen+ Venice which makes the service offering unique in that the focus is on reducing and salvaging exhibition waste materials for reuse rather than waste disposal.

Existing Services

This diagram represents a typical end-of life journey for biennale waste. Note: the licensed waste transport companies included in the diagram do not represent all available services.

Transport Service

Bamo SRL Local Dismantling Services Exhibition Installation

Building Material Waste

Licensed Waste Transport Companies

Citton

Licensed Waste Disposal Companies

Scalo Fluviale

Venice: Historic Centre

Mainland : San Giuliano or Troncherri

Mainland : Marghera or Treviso

Figure 10: Journey of exhibition waste from Venice

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Regen+ Venice

Design Approach The service design approach used for this project was based on the double diamond process divided into four stages: discover, define, develop and deliver. A variety of research and design methodologies and tools were utilised in each phase.

General Problem Statement

Ethnographic Research

Empathy Mapping

Expert Interviews Stakeholder Mapping

Problem Definition

Early Prototyping HMW

Stakeholder Interviews

Discover

Story Boarding

Key Insights

Secondary Research

Define

Figure 11: Double Diamond design process

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Develop

Service Proposal

Business Model Creation

Affinity Mapping

Concept Testing

Solution

Prototyping

Personas

Mind Mapping

Secondary Research

Iterate Co-design Workshop

Feedback & Validation Value Proposition

Blueprint

Deliver

Discover This was the information and insight gathering phase. It started with secondary research carried out in London. All other research activities were carried out in Venice (the context in which the service is based).

Secondary Research Desk Research

Primary Research Field Research Interviews

Mapping Mind Map

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Regen+ Venice

Secondary Research The main focus of the early stages of the secondary research was to gather information about the Venice Biennale organisation, its place within Venice and its relationship with the local population. The following research tools and methodologies provided valuable insight.

Desk Research Following are some of the insights collected from desk research:

The Biennale and Venice Below are a few excerpts from “How Was It For You?”, a report published by We Are Here Venice, a non-profit association that addresses Venice’s challenges as a living city.

“Exhibitors clearly benefit from the extraordinary backdrop and visitors never tire of the pleasures of spending time in Venice, but the serious threats to both its historic urban fabric and future as a living city tend to remain in the shadows” (Smith and Da Mosto, 2018)

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“The most self-evident problem with hosting such large temporary events is the vast amount of material consumption” (Smith and Da Mosto, 2018)

Figure 12: Mario Botta’s The Practice of Teaching installation

Figure 13: Norman Foster’s Crosses Morphed into a Tensegrity Structure

Waste at the Biennale There were attempts to create awareness about the waste generated from Biennale exhibitions, however, there is a lack of action on behalf of the organisation and the local government to address the issue.

““The opening halls of Biennale Architettura 2016 were built with 100 tons of waste material generated by the previous Biennale,” said a statement from Aravena.”

(Mairs, 2016)

““Jane Da Mosto says, “It’s crazy that, between them, the Biennale and the local administration can’t [do more] to address and limit wastage and promote reuse.””

(Sharpe, 2019)

Figure 14: Aljoša Dekleva’s and Tina Gregorič’s Home at Arsenale installation

Mass Tourism and the Housing Crisis in Venice Quotes from local Venetians interviewed by Julia Buckley for The Independent:

“The problem is not to limit entrance to tourists; the problem is to give more houses, more apartments to the Venetians and the people who want to live here” (Buckley, 2018)

"For me, the most important thing for Venice would be to treat it like a real city and defend it from the selling off of public heritage, and from her daily rape by cruise ships and mass tourism. We need to prioritise housing policies and incentivise economic growth." (Buckley, 2018)

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Regen+ Venice

Primary Research Field Research - Observation Climate Change, mass extinction, global warming and pollution were dominant themes at the 2019 Art Biennale.

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Nordic Pavilion

Nordic Pavilion

Weather Report: Forecasting Future

Weather Report: Forecasting Future

Nordic Pavilion

French Pavilion

Weather Report: Forecasting Future

Deep See Blue Surrounding You

Field Research Attendance

-

Conference

Attending a conference was a good way to understand the kinds of conversations happening about art and the Biennale from the most influential people working at the organisation.

Meetings on Art 2019 Venice Art Biennale

Meetings on Art 2019 Venice Art Biennale

“Meetings on Art”, was a talk hosted by the curator of the 2019 Art Biennale, Ralph Rugoff, where he invited participating artists to further explore some of the main themes of the Biennale. The conference addressed art’s relationship with environmental issues.

One of the themes discussed by participating artist, Tomás Saraceno, was the environmental impact of large scale exhibitions such as the Art and Architecture Biennales. Saraceno drew the crowd’s attention to the issue of carbon emissions released into the atmosphere to fly thousands of art professionals and ship tons of materials to Venice. He then went on to explore future alternatives. (La Biennale Di Venezia, 2019)

Field Research: Research

Ethnographic

To gain an empathetic understanding of the social and geographic context, an open exploration of Venice and its local population was necessary. This was done through photo ethnography and informal conversations with locals.

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Regen+ Venice

Photo Ethnography Waste in Venice is collected every day except Sundays and public holidays.

Like everything else in Venice trash has to be collected by boat and by foot which is labor intensive and expensive. “The cost of garbage collection is three times the price in Venice as it is on the mainland.”

(Knight, 2014) There’s substantial emphasis on recycling in Venice and the promotion of the circular economy.

According to the mayor of the city and of the metropolitan city of Venice, Luigi Brugnaro,

“Venice, the foremost Italian metropolitan area in recycling, is proving today that it has all the right credentials to be a virtuous example of cooperation for the development of the circular economy: nothing is thrown away and recycling produces wealth. What today is a cost and a problem, tomorrow becomes an advantage” (Eni, 2018)

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For more photos (See Appendix A)

Restoration and renovation work on Venetian buildings and monuments is continuous and can be noticed in every corner of the city.

There are many abandoned properties that are left derelict in Venice due to the high costs of maintenance.

Labratorio Morion is an example of an abandoned space occupied by Venetians, refurbished and turned into a social centre.

Activism and protests are commonplace in Venice due to the multitude of environmental, social and economic challenges looming over the city.

This image was taken protest on the Venetian where the Venice Film place. The protest’s “Occupy the red carpet�

at a climate island of Lido Festival takes slogan was

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Regen+ Venice

Conversations With Locals About Living In Venice

“I don’t like living in Venice…I pay €500 for a small room...it’s too expensive...people like Venice because they don’t live here” Waiter, local resident

“I used to live here but I moved to Mestre and I commute everyday to Venice. I like it in Mestre, it’s affordable and there are not too many tourists” Gelato Shop Employee, Venetian

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Interviews After gaining a baseline understanding of the context (Venice and the Biennale) and the challenges facing Venice and its local population, the next step was to obtain a deeper-level understanding around some of the themes that arose from the open exploration research phase.

In-depth interviews were carried out with people from different experiences and disciplines.

Architect and researcher based in Venice

“Italy scores very high in recycling among European countries...there’s an infrastructure that supports this including policy, technology and business of course, but a lot of it is actually social attitudes.

There’s a culture here about waste and recycling that’s quite interesting. Maybe the Biennale has something to learn from it, maybe National Pavilions have something to learn from it”

Member of Rebiennale organisation

“The short life-span of the Biennale exhibitions, makes them unsustainable” “We started as volunteers collecting waste, but we felt used by exhibitions to save money on waste disposal and we quickly ran out of storage space. Now we only collect reusable materials” “It’s impossible to tell how much waste is left behind from the exhibitions, many exhibitions try to hide their trash by using greenwashing strategies” “It is very difficult to get information about materials from the exhibitions”

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Regen+ Venice

Exhibition Support Services Director in Venice

“When I suggest to my clients (pavilions) to work in more sustainable ways, I don’t get any pushback. It’s about providing people with other options if they’re available”

National Pavilion Exhibitions Manager

“The waste at the end of the biennale is extraordinary” “It’s almost unfathomable how Venice became the epicentre of the world’s biggest biennale, it’s such an inaccessible place to do it, everything has to come by boat and that comes with its own sustainability issues”

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Mapping Mind mapping was used to help visually organise the information collected during the discovery phase of the project. This tool helped organise the challenges Venice is facing and the existing solutions and responses to these challenges. The map also helped in making connections to the Biennale organisation and explore its role within the ecosystem.

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Regen+ Venice

Define This stage was focused on interpreting research findings, sense-making, identifying themes, articulating the problem, and finally setting the design challenge.

Mapping

Affinity Mapping Empathy Mapping

Personas

Key Insights HMW Problem Statement

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Affinity Mapping Affinity mapping was used to synthesise and make sense of the information gathered during the discovery phase. The information was clustered into themes based on their relationship. The most important themes/ideas were marked by a sticker to ensure they don’t get lost as the design process moves along it.

Empathy Mapping Empathy mapping was a useful tool for understanding the needs of the service users and helped in the persona development process.

(See Appendix B) for a sample empathy map done for a Venetian resident and a member of the Rebiennale organisation.

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Regen+ Venice

Personas Three different personas were created to represent the three different user groups of the service. Marco represents members of Rebiennale.

Ryan represents exhibition managers at the Biennale and Helen represents architects participating at the Biennale.

Marco

What Marco is Saying: “I'm a squatter myself because of the sad gentrification of Venice” “I want to see Rebiennale grow as a professional team”

Age: 40s Location: Venice Character: Activist Profession: Carpenter Bio I am a Venetian social and environmental activist. I’m dedicated to helping Venetian residents who have been evicted from their homes to find a new home. I’m part of a collective called Rebiennale focused on reusing the enormous amounts of waste materials produced by the Art and Architecture Biennale exhibitions to refurbish abandoned places and for urban regeneration projects.

Self-driven, entrepreneurial, DIYer

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“Fighting back the depopulation of Venice is my life-long mission” “We’ve reused waste materials from exhibitions to support squatters in Venice and refugees in Marghera” “We asked permission from the biennale organisation to go in and study materials but we were not allowed” “Many exhibitions try to hide their trash” “We started as volunteers collecting waste, but we felt used by exhibitions to save money on waste disposal. Now we only collect reusable materials”

Needs:

Motivations:

Access to information about reusable waste material from art and architecture exhibitions Grow as a professional team to meet new demands from the Venice Biennale Organisation

Social

Environmental

Growth

Visibility among biennale exhibitors Collaborations with curators, architects, designers and artists to exchange knowledge about life cycle assessment to promote a culture of sustainability

Snaps Of My Life:

Frustrations: Reusable material from the Biennale is sometimes trashed and ends up in landfills Reusable material compromised during process

is the

sometimes dismantling

We can never know how much waste is generated from the exhibitions The biennale uses greenwashing strategies to get rid of the waste It’s difficult to obtain information about materials from exhibitors as they don’t like to reveal the use of unsustainable materials

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Regen+ Venice

Ryan What Ryan is Saying:

Age: 30s Location: London Character: Planner Profession: Touring Exhibitions Manager Bio I’m a touring exhibition manager. I’m responsible for handling logistics for our exhibition at the Venice art and architecture biennales including waste management.

I’m always looking for strategies to reduce and manage waste effectively, especially that it’s becoming expensive to be wasteful and I also want to make sure that things are done sustainably.

I need to make sure I have plenty of time for planning to discuss with the artists and architects how we can make our exhibitions more sustainable and less wasteful.

Organised, meticulous, eco-conscious

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“I do mediation with artists/architects to make sure they’re working within the right framework. And that's not killing their dream, it's more to say, this is the limitations of Venice, the limitations of the Pavilion, the limitations of the budget, you have to sort of work within that. And that also involves our responsibility as an organization to not destroy the environment” “there's a lot of planning that goes into making sure things are not done ad hoc. I think when things aren't planned properly, that's when you start to blow out your carbon footprint and blow out your budget. Logistics are a big thing in Venice. One plane means one truck means one boat.”

“The waste from the architecture biennale is easier to repurporse because it’s building materials as opposed to the art waste”

Needs:

Motivations:

Eco-friendly strategies for waste reduction and management.

Success

Ensure the organisation has a reputation for responsible environmental and social practices

Environmental

Save money on waste disposal

Financial

Reputation Frustrations: Negotiations with artists and architects around feasibility of ideas could be challenging

Snaps Of My Life:

Waste disposal costs a lot of money Not aware of alternative solutions for waste reduction and management Lead time to plan for sustainable waste management strategies is challenging

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Regen+ Venice

Helen

Age: 30s Location: London Character: Intentive Profession: Architect What Helen is Saying: Bio I’m a London based architect who has exhibited in Venice at a satellite exhibition that took place during the architecture biennale. I’m always looking for innovative ways to express myself as an architect and designer. I try to embed sustainable practices in my work as much as possible.

I have reused materials in my installations over and over again. I’m interested in the concept of regenerative design and I try to adopt it in all my projects. I think this approach pushes the designer to explore new depths of creativity and it is not restrictive like some people believe. Nature is a huge inspiration for me, that’s why I approach it with the utmost respect.

Creative, Principled, Environmentally Responsible

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“I try to be sustainable in the way I work, so it’s a natural step for me to apply the same approach when I’m exhibiting in Venice” “There needs to be a cultural shift in the way exhibitions are planned. Planning is key in ensuring a more sustainable practice” The Biennale organisation needs to push for a greener exhibiting practice” “Having an incentive for architects and designers to go green would help” There is so much waste generated from the biennale exhibitions, I always wonder what happens to all this trash”

Needs:

Motivations:

Support from the biennale organisation to encourage greener practices

Environmental

Community support

Innovation

Access to resources to help in planning a “green” exhibition

Reputation

Enough time and resources to plan for a sustainable exhibition

Frustrations: Lack of incentive for designers to go green

Snaps Of My Life: architects

and

No support system for architects who want to work in a more sustainable way Not sure where the up.Transparency is lacking

waste

ends

Big organisations are not talking about waste generated from massive exhibitions.

There’s no accountability

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Regen+ Venice

Key Insights

Planning for the reuse of materials has to happen in the very early stages of exhibition planning

The process of dismantling exhibition structures is very important in determining the reusability of materials.

Proper dismantling of structures could preserve the integrity of materials and prevent the waste from ending up in a landfill or going to the inicinater; it increases the chances for reuse

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There is a willingness to adopt more sustainable practices on behalf of some exhibition organisers and architects participating at the Venice Biennale, however there’s a lack of action due to low awareness levels about solutions and the absence of practical tools to aid in the transition to greener practices.

Exhibition participants are under a lot of pressure to deliver, therefore, sustainability becomes an afterthought.

Adopting sustainable practices requires early and meticulous planning.

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Regen+ Venice

Problem Statement

The Venice Art and Architecture Biennales continue to attract hundreds of exhibitors from all over the world to showcase their work for seven months of the year.

However, due to a lack of sustainable practices to reduce their exhibitions' environmental footprint, hundreds of exhibitions leave behind enormous amounts of waste material that ends up being trashed; waste that could have been reused for much needed urban regeneration projects in Venice.

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How Might We

Connect participating exhibitors at the Venice Art and Architecture Biennales to solutions that will help them adopt sustainable practices to reducing and managing exhibition waste 38

Regen+ Venice

Develop This phase marked the beginning of the service concept development. Several ideation meetings were carried out including a co-design workshop with participants from multi-disciplinary backgrounds.

Regen+ Venice was developed as a service solution and the process of testing and iterating with service users began.

Design Space Concept Development Early Concept Testing

Co-Designing Design Brief Workshop Key themes

Prototyping Testing and Feedback

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Design Space The design criteria were created using key insights and respond to the HMW question. The Design Criteria Canvas tool was used to determine the core elements of the service. This helped to prioritize the non-negotiable elements and to identify important elements and other items that might be useful but aren’t mandatory for the service. (Design A Better Business, no date)

Must

Should

Could

Won’t

Include local community partnerships

Offer an incentive to use

Create a competition for most sustainable exhibition

Solve all customers’ sustainability issues

Provide solutions for waste reduction Provide solutions for sustainable waste management

Encourage long term collaboration Help achieve zero-waste to landfill process

Collaborate with other organisations /services aligned with the same goals

Provide free services for collecting leftover exhibition materials

Support culture of sustainability through knowledge exchange

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Regen+ Venice

Concept Development Storyboard Storyboarding was a useful tool as a first step to exploring the concept based on the defined problem.

.01 Sustainability

Exhibition Manager introduces the architect to the organisation's new sustainability goals

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.02 Database of Reusable Materials

Exhibition Manager introduces the architect to the service

.03 Collaboration

Architect discovers ways of embedding sustainability into practice through the service

.05 Building

Exhibition manager suggests hiring local talent to help in building exhibition structure

.04 Sustainable Materials

Architect chooses reusable materials to work with

.06 Dismantling

Artist discovers more service offering

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Regen+ Venice

Early Concept Testing The concept was tested with an exhibitions manager working for one of the national pavilions at the Venice Biennale. Feedback was solicited very early on in the concept development process using the storyboard as a visual tool to explain the concept. Early testing was helpful in ensuring the service idea is viable.

Feedback: Key takeaways from feedback: Early planning is very important for the success of the service.

The way artists, architects, designers and curators use the service must be well articulated as the exhibitions manager’s influence is limited when it comes to materials selection.

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“The service needs to be clear on how materials are collected...what the process is. Communication and transparency are essential”

“I’m on board with the concept. It really all comes down to planning materials and the dismantling or deinstall of the exhibition”

“This is a long commitment and would require a 12 month lead time”

“Conversations and planning about materials need to happen at a top level...with artists and architects, even before I come in”

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Regen+ Venice

Co-Design Design Brief The design brief incorporated feedback collected during concept testing.

HMW make information sharing about materials seamless and timely for both service user and service provider? (When and how) HMW design a customer service platform that is easy to use?

HMW encourage and motivate customers to use the service?

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Part of the brief was to communicate potential service interventions to workshop participants (see figures 15 and 16). The below diagram shows the journey of the upcoming British Architecture Exhibition

Dec ‘18

Feb ‘19

Apr ‘19

May ‘19

May ‘20

Nov’20

Call Goes Out To Architects

12 Shortlisted Teams

Selection Made

Work Begins

Exhibition Opens

Exhibition Closes

Exhibition Concept Development And Materials Planning

Exhibition Planning And Set-up

Dismantling And Waste Disposal

Figure 15: Journey of 2020 British Architecture Exhibition at the Venice Biennalle- Service Interventions

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Regen+ Venice

The life cycle assessment tool (LCA) was used to further articulate the service interventions mostly from the service provider’s perspective.

“Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a method which is increasingly used to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of products and

services and their resource consumption. LCA is also used in the building and construction sector, where it is a crucial part of the assessment of a building’s environmental sustainability.”

(Birgisdóttir and Rasmussen and Danish Building Research Institute, 2016)

Raw Materials

Urban regeneration Projects, donation, reuse for future art/architecture projects

Production

Recyling Reutilisation

Use

Collecting materials for reuse and recycling

Technical Dismantling

Final Waste Processing

Demolition Dismantling

Figure 16: Life Cycle Assessment - Service Interventions

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Planning + material selection + material declaration + building

Workshop The purpose of the co-design workshop was to gather ideas and come up with potential solutions through answering the design brief.

A thorough briefing session was given to the participants to ensure they had sufficient background information. Supporting material such as personas, a journey through the service storyboard, and service intervention diagrams were provided.

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In keeping with the service’s sustainability values, the planet centric design canvas was used as a tool to ensure the design outcomes 1. Aim towards solving the selected planetary problem (UN Goal no. 12 of the Sustainable Development Goals: Responsible Consumption and Production) 2. Benefit the planetary users selected (Humans, Minerals and Metals)

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The planet centric design canvas is a tool that helps businesses in solving their problems while respecting the planet and its inhabitants. The tool was developed by Impossible, an agency focused on building products and designing businesses for the future using Planet Centric Design.

(Impossible, 2019) The goal of the workshop was to empathise with the target users of the service, identify their problems and ideate around solutions.

Planetary Problem

Planetary Solution

Planetary Users

Responsible comsumption and production

Substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse.

Humans Minerals and Metals

User Problems

Solution Details

People (Target Users)

Workshop participants were from multidisciplinary backgrounds including designers, artists and people with exhibition management experience.

Participants were asked to spend time studying personas, identifying their pain points and identifying design opportunities based on their needs.

Participants were divided into two groups. Group 1 was asked to generate ideas from the perspective of the service user and Group 2 was asked to design from the perspective of the service provider. This ensured that the perspectives of both the service user and the service provider were represented.

Ideas were then shared and discussed in detail among the groups.

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The next step was to organise and group the ideas into themes based on their relationships. The final step was to prioritise ideas using the dot-voting method.

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Key Themes Key themes that came out of the co-design session

Pre-planning Design ideas were focused on how to support service users in choosing to work with sustainable and reusable materials in the early stages of exhibition planning. This is about waste reduction.

Exchange Design ideas were focused around collaborating with the local community through knowledge exchange about sustainable materials and practices, and donating leftover exhibition materials.

Afterlife of Materials Design ideas were focused on providing options for reuse and recycling materials. This is about sustainable waste management and extending the service life of exhibitions through reuse and recycling.

Incentive To Use The Service Design ideas were focused on how to encourage users to use the service.

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Prototyping A digital prototype of the service was developed as an outcome of the ideas and discussions from the co-design workshop and expansive desk research.

The main service features include:

Introduction to the Service

(See Appendix C) 53

Waste Reduction

Materials Wishlist Feature: a planning tool to help service users in reducing exhibition waste through planning the use of sustainable materials from the beginning Declare Feature: a tool that helps exhibitors in sharing information about the availability of reusable materials from their exhibition. The aim ultimately is to salvage materials from getting disposed in unsustainable ways (incinerator or landfill) Services Feature: access to services to help in the building, dismantling and waste disposal of exhibitions.

Collaboration Feature: providing partnership opportunities with the local community through knowledge exchange workshops about sustainable exhibition practices and urban regeneration projects.

Donate Feature: reducing the disposal of reusable or recyclable exhibition materials through donating them to a good cause Green Lion Feature: recognising exhibitors for their sustainable exhibiting practices through meeting certain criteria

Waste Management

Community Partnerships

Recognition for sustainable exhibiting practices

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Regen+ Venice

Service Name Regen+ Venice Regen is short for regenerate and is an invitation for service users to approach their exhibition design in a regenerative way.

For the service provider it’s about regeneration and reconstruction, in this case, of Venice.

Regenerate: - to make (a substance) usable again, as by restoring it to its original chemical composition - to give new life or energy to; revitalise - to become formed or constructed again Regeneration: forming again; reconstituting

renewing

and

(The Free Dictionary, 2019)

+

stands for creating a positive impact and inclusion

The name allows for scalability as Regen+ could be applied to any other context in which an art or cultural exhibition takes place.

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Regen+ Venice targets three impact areas: Waste reduction through the selection of sustainable materials Waste management through the use of sustainable methods Community Partnerships through job creation, project collaborations and skills sharing and knowledge exchange about sustainable building design and construction practices

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Testing and Feedback The prototype was tested with: Two London based architects who have exhibited during the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2018 A group of UX and service designers

Testing: Feedback on Materials Wishlist Feature

“One difficulty you might have is forcing people to plan and have a different mindset, so you definitely need back up from the organisers, it should be a strict rule, at least for one year just to try out or there should be a good incentive�

Architect no. 1

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Testing: Feedback on Declare Feature

“I think what’s important is declaring the quantities as well as the status of materials and how damaged they are...because if I’m coming to pick up a board and it has too many holes in it.. it’s no use for me” Architect no.2

“If you can take a photo on your phone and upload it...whatever is easiest because time is usually a barrier” Architect no. 2

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Testing: Feedback on Potential of Using the Service

“If you want us to help you in depth with this, we could be consultants or partners for your project, if you need someone to try it for the first time, we can participate, we would be happy to...it’s a good cause” Architect no. 1

We were actually talking about how much waste there is at the biennale and how we should do something” Architect no. 2

“We will sign up!” Architect no. 2

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Testing: Feedback on Launching the Service and Publicity

It would be good to launch a service with an event that explains what you want to do in a broader vision, we could partner with you to create something, a symbol, out of biennale trash, you get it published, you start talking about it… you need to do it from a marketing point of view...you have to create something so that people see it and start talking about it. It’s an eyecatcher you get some news out of it published in magazines. People usually want to see it done to understand and say...I like it...it’s very difficult to convince people and bring them to the point of behaviour change you want...so if you start showing the problem in a very tactical real way then people understand it or feel it” Architect no. 1

“Social Media especially Instagram would be great for this service” Architect no. 1

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Testing: Feedback on Services Feature

“The way people build and dismantle structures actually has an impact on the afterlife of the materials and whether or not it can be reused, so it makes sense to offer these services” Architect no.1

Testing: Feedback on Donate Feature

“Most of these installations are built through using cheap labour of students, so if they are part of the process, I think it’s only fair to donate the materials to students” Architect no.1

“So many of the social housing buildings in Venice are in need of refurbishing” Architect no.1 61

“Usually universities have storage capacity, IUAV is a huge university, so they might find a room to store materials.”

Architect no.1

Testing: Feedback on the Service Concept

“This service is definitely something that is happening at the right time...someone needs to do something about the waste problem” Architect no. 1

“...I think the region (Veneto) as a government body, would like to promote this sort of service because they’re already doing amazing work in recycling...so you might have some back up from the political side...I don’t know about biennale...it’s not easy...I mean you haven’t chosen an easy exhibition, because in Italy it’s difficult to innovate sometimes...they are very creative, but innovation goes through politics more than other places” Architect no. 1

“That’s a really good thing you’re doing, I think it’s going to be very successful” Architect no. 2 62

Regen+ Venice

Testing: Feedback on Green Lion Feature

“ I think this is a good incentive to give people the opportunity to sign up for this more ecological way of exhibiting and create another club of these architects/designers who are part of this new system and by taking part...they get recognition, maybe a green badge, and people can see that they are different.� Architect no.2

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Testing: Feedback on Service Concept

“I think since there are so many ways a user can get involved in the service, and the experience is not linear, you need to make that clear at the very beginning...on the homepage” Service Designer

“Simplify the names of features to make them easier to understand e.g Materials Wishlist, make it more straightforward” UX Designer

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Deliver This was the final phase of the design process.The focus was to perform final iterations to the service, final testing and validation, and to deliver the service blueprint.

Iterations Service Proposal Testing and Validation Service Journey Maps Service Blueprint Value Proposition The Sustainable Business Model SWOT

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Iterations A digital platform for the service was developed that includes both a website and an app.

Three main feedback points were addressed in the final round of iterations.

Communicate the service features upfront and in a succinct way

Simplify the naming of the service features

In the final iteration, the service offering is communicated on the homepage with two calls-to-action that sum up the main service offering: “Waste reduction” and “Waste Management”

“Declare” was changed to “Tell us what materials you have”. And the feature now lives under the “Manage Waste” service offering.

“Materials Wish list” is now a “database of sustainable materials” and now lives under the “Reduce Waste” service offering.

Simplify the technology for declaring materials Taking into consideration the feedback around the technology for declaring exhibition materials, an app for this specific service feature was proposed to make sharing information about exhibition materials quick and easy for exhibitors.

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Service Proposal

(See Appendix D)

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Waste Management Scenario 1

Confirms interest in material

Uploads exhibition materials information on app

Provides quote for exhibition dismantling

Disassembles exhibition structure

Accepts quote

Takes reusable materials for urban regeneration projects

Disposes any leftover trash using a sustainable local waste disposal partner

Pays for waste disposal

Value Exchange: Regen+ Venice = Acquires reusable materials for future urban regeneration projects.

Job opportunities for local residents Exhibition manager= Saves on waste disposal costs. Maximises positive eco-social impact

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Regen+ Venice

Waste Management Scenario 2

Makes a site visit to assess materials health

Uses a third party service for dismantling exhibition structure

Declares availability of leftover materials on app after exhibition dismantling

Wants to donate material to Regen+

Value Exchange: Regen+ Venice = Acquires reusable materials for future urban regeneration projects Exhibition eco-social

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manager=

Maximises

positive impact

Collects only reusable / recyclable materials for urban regeneration projects

Waste Reduction Scenario 1

Offers exhibition building and dismantling services

Chooses Submits an sustainable online materials form to for Regen+ to upcoming confirm exhibition materials

Joins exhibition building team

Ensures exhibition is built in a sustainable way

Dismantles exhibition to ensure materials are preserved for reuse

Accepts building and dismantling offer

Value Exchange: Regen+ Venice = Acquires reusable materials for future urban regeneration projects + job opportunities for local residents Architect = Reduces exhibition waste + creates positive social impact through collaboration with local community

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Regen+ Venice

Waste Reduction Scenario 2 Registers materials as available for collection after exhibition

Offers exhibition building and dismantling services

Chooses Submits sustainable an online materials form to for Regen+ upcoming to confirm exhibition materials

Rejects services but agrees to work with sustainable materials

Value Exchange: Regen+ Venice = Acquires reusable materials for future urban regeneration projects Architect = Reduces exhibition waste

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Assesses reusability of materials after exhibition is dismantled

Collects reusable and recyclable materials

Testing and Validation The service was tested with a curator and artist from the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

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Feedback On Service Concept

“I feel like artists and curators, we’re all thinking about sustainability now. So I think a service like this is of great help for us to think about the materials we use and the afterlife of these materials...It is very important to ask ourselves why do I need to use this specific material when I can use this other more sustainable material that will have a positive impact in the future.

It’s a good way of working in a more conscientious way”

“Planning at the very beginning is a very good point because curators and contractors work together from the very start, so it’s great that the service offers what contractors offer...to be on the team with the curator and artist to build the exhibition.”

“This could be transformative”

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Feedback On Waste Reduction Feature Concept

“Curators are the ones who are planning and contractors are the ones executing.

Curators don’t have much say about what materials contractors are using as long as the end product meets their concept requirement...so it’s good to work with a sustainable contractor who can help you choose sustainable materials and build your exhibition...like this service is offering”

“...restrictions sometimes pushes your creativity...the ideas are more important than the material itself”

“I think it’s challenging the artist in a good way ...by looking at materials from a different perspective...from a sustainability perspective and considering other options right from the start of the creative process”

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Feedback On Waste Management

“It’s so expensive to get rid of things, waste disposal and landfill taxes rates are so high”

“So much materials are used to produce exhibitions and unfortunately most of it is trashed. Institutions need to rethink how they manage their waste…I think it’s so important and currently no one is thinking about it”

Feedback On Services Feature

“Being there during the building of exhibition is very useful in ensuring sustainability of materials...looking at small details like the type of paint example can be determined by contractor”

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the the the for the

“Yeah why not help them build the exhibition and you then take down the structure that you built...as you know how you built it and you know how to take it down in a sustainable way”

Feedback on Green Lion Certificate

“I feel like the period we’re at now, it’s very important to have a good reputation for being sustainable, it’s not enough to be sustainable in your personal life, but also at work….it’s difficult at the beginning, it’s a long commitment...it’s a continuous process, so it’s encouraging to be recognised”

“That’s amazing, I mean as a consumer, if you see a product with a specific label like Fair Trade or Vegan, you trust it, acknowledge it and actually support what the organisation is doing, because you know they’re doing the right thing...it’s great publicity as well and it becomes easy to notice...and artists like that kind of publicity”

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Feedback On Launch Of Service And Publicity

“Social media is the new exhibition space, everyone is on there, it’s a good way to reach connect with independent artists”

Feedback On Service Support From The Biennale

“For example, the theme of London Design Week was sustainability so the artisans and designers had to use sustainable materials.”

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Feedback On Challenges And Opportunities Of Using The Service

One of the problems is the budget...every exhibition has a budget...some organisations have their inhouse contractors...or have long-term partnerships with third party contractors and get discounts...but if they have sustainability goals, and they need to commit to them, even if it means they have to change they way they do things to achieve their goals.

“I think actually in the long term it’s cheaper to be sustainable, because you’re not discarding materials...you’re preserving them to be reused”

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Service Journey Map Journey Through The Service - Architect

.1

.2

Helen sees an instagram post about the launch event for Regen+ Venice, which included a feature collaboration project with two London based architects

She likes that the feature project at the event was built with 100% sustainable materials and those materials are going to be reused for urban regeneration projects in Venice

.7

Helen signs an agreement with Regen+ Venice that includes the three-step waste reduction process: Sustainable materials selection, building and dismantling the exhibition

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.3

Regen+ Venice

She clicks through to Regen+ Venice’s website and starts browsing through their services

.6

.4

Reduce Waste

Helen is very excited that the website provides solutions for reducing exhibition waste

.5 Submit

Marco from Regen+ Venice gets in touch with Helen to provide more information about the materials selected and how they can collaborate on Helen’s upcoming exhibition in Venice

She selects materials that she would like to work with for her upcoming exhibition in Venice and submits her interest through an online form

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.8

.9

Helen starts working with Marco and his team on her project using the sustainable materials she has chosen

After the exhibition is over Helen calls on the Regen+ Venice team to dismantle the exhibition structure and take the leftover reusable materials

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.10

Regen+ Venice reuses the exhibition materials to refurbish an abandoned building and turn it into a social centre

.11

Helen is awarded the Green Lion certificate as a recognition for her sustainable exhibiting practices

.12

Helen becomes part of the Regen+ Venice community of sustainable art and design practitioners

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Service Journey Map Journey through the service - Exhibitions Manager

.1

.2

Ryan finds out about Regen+ Venice while researching eco-friendly waste disposal companies that he can hire to get rid of his exhibition waste

Ryan visits the Regen+ Venice website and browses the service offering

Regen+ Venice

.7

Ryan accepts Marco’s offer and signs an exhibition dismantling service with Regen+ Venice

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.3

Manage Waste

He’s interested in the “Manage Waste� service feature

.4

Tell us what materials you have...

Ryan is happy to find out that instead of trashing leftover exhibition waste, he can declare what materials he has and Regen+ Venice can collect them to be reused for urban regeneration projects

.6

.5

Marco expresses interest in the materials Ryan uploaded on the app and recommends that his team at Regen+ Venice does the exhibition dismantling to ensure the materials are preserved for reuse

Ryan downloads the app so he can take pictures of the exhibition and declare the kind and quantity of materials on his phone and upload them instantly

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.8

.9

Marco and his team from Regen+ Venice dismantle the exhibition carefully to preserve the integrity of the materials

All reusable materials are collected and temporarily stored for future urban regeneration projects.

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.10

Regen+ Venice uses a sustainable waste disposal company to get rid of any non-reusable and non-recyclable leftover materials

.11

Ryan is so happy Regen+ Venice helped him manage his exhibition waste in a sustainable way, save money on waste disposal and achieve his organisation’s environmental goals.

.12

Ryan is interested in establishing a long-term collaboration with Regen+ Venice and work with them towards managing as well as reducing waste for future exhibitions

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Service Blueprint

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Pre-Service

In-Service

Launch event, social media, magazines, WOM, online search

Website

Online Form

Contract

Exhibition Structure

Customer journey for waste reduction

Becomes Aware of the service

Visits service platform

Selects sustainable material for exhibition

Signs cotract for exhibition building and dismantling

Builds exhibition with Regen+

Customer journey for waste Management

Becomes Aware of the service

Visits service platform

Physical Evidence

Pre-exhibition planning

Exhibition

App

Post Exhibition

Email/Phone Call

Exhibition Structure

Leftover Exhibition Material

Receives expression of interest from Regen+ Venice

Agreement

Continue

Email/Phone Call

Signs agreement for upcoming exhibition

Plans for following year’s exhibition

Confirms site visit with Regen+

Signs agreement for upcoming exhibition

Plans for following year’s exhibition

Picks up reusable materials from exhibition

Sends agreement

Manage project

Confirms site visit with Regen+

Uploads photos of exhibition materials

Post Service

Line of Interaction Frontstage Employee Actions

Sends Contract

Sends expression of interest in materials

Builds Exhibition with customer

Technology

Dismanties exhibition

Updates database with information

Generates a customer order

Line of Visibility Backstage Contact Actions

Project manager processes order

Project manager prepares contract

Database and order management system

Legal and Compliance

Resourcing and talent planning

Project manager analyzes information

Project manager confirms interest in materials

Resourcing and talent planning

Project Manager prepares agreement

Line of Internal Interaction Support Processes

Marketing campaign planning

Tech platform integration

Legal and Compliance

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The Sustainable Business Model

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Key Partners Venice Biennale Organisation Environmental Organisations Waste Management Companies Exhibitions at the Biennale

Key Activities Building and dismantling exhibition structures Communicate material needs for urban regeneration projects Connecting exhibitors with local professionals for project collaborations Reuse exhibition materials for urban regeneration projects

Key Resources

Value Proposition One platform that helps you reduce and manage your exhibition waste in a sustainable and cost-efficient way.

Customer Relationships Information exchange Co-planning Project collaborations “Green� Certification

Salaries Tech Platform Costs Tools and machinery Storage Costs Transportation Costs

Eco-Social Costs Transportation of Materials

Exhibition Managers Artists, curators, architects, designers

Reduce your environmental footprint while creating eco-social benefits

Channels Website APP Project Manger Online Form

Builders, carpenters Tech Platform Storage Brand

Cost Structure

Customer Segments

Revenue Streams Building and dismantling services $/hr Waste disposal services $/weight

Eco-Social Benefits Reducing waste to landfills Reusing waste for urban regeneration projects Refurbishing derelict spaces Refurbishing spaces for social housing Creating jobs for local community

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Value Proposition

“Put your waste to good use”

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- Planning for the use of sustainable materials - Finds opportunities for reusing and recycling waste - Dismantling and building services with local experts to ensure best chances of material reusability - Data sharing about material availability

Pain Relievers

Service

- One platform that provides solutions for reducing and managing exhibition waste in a sustainable way

- Certification for sustainable practices - Recognition for Green for green practices - Preserves natural resources - Knowledge exchange about materials sustainability through community collaborations

- Save money on waste disposal

- Not familiar with existing sustainable solutions

- Lower environmental impact - Recognition for sustainable practices

- Doesn’t have the tools to reduce and manage waste sustainably

Pains

Gain Creators

- Savings on waste disposal costs

- Waste disposal is expensive

Gains

- Planning an exhibition successfully at the Art or Architecture Biennale while minimizing environmental footprint - Achieve sustainability goals - Manage waste effectively

Jobs

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SWOT Analysis

S

trengths

The service is unique. No other service offers a holistic approach to sustainable waste reduction and management of exhibitions with a focus on eco-social impact The timeliness of the service due to the fact that climate change and global warming are dominating world news There already exists a strong culture and infrastructure for recycling and the circular economy in the Metropolitan City of Venice Built on community collaborations

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W

eaknesses

The service needs the backing and influence of the Biennale Organisation.

Lack of organisational transformation plan for service provider

O

pportunities

Expansion to other art and architecture exhibitions. Model could be replicated in other contexts.

Creating a movement around sustainability and building a community A few exhibitors have already expressed their interest in the service

T

hreats

Absence of endorsement from Biennale organisation.

Access restrictions to the main exhibition areas (Giardini and Arsenale) Many art and cultural institutions have existing contractors and not willing to shift to other (more sustainable) services Exhibitors continually change.

Long-term relationships may be hard to achieve

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Action Plan Through this project, a connection has already been established between the service provider and an exhibition manager for one of the participating national pavilions at the Venice Biennale.

Future Biennale exhibitors have also expressed their interest in being early adopters of the service.

In order to achieve the goals for this service, the following actions are needed.

Test MVP with first customer

Business Proposal

Service Funding & Partnerships

Service Infrastructure

Service Launch & Marketing Activities

- Get exhibitors who have already expressed their interest onboard to test the service

- Write up a detailed business plan

- Seek funding and partnerships (Biennale organisation, environmental organisations, municipality, waste management companies)

- Develop service platform including website, app and technology integrations

- Plan a service launch event

- Make adjustments to all service features based on feedback

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- Implement new organisational structure

- Create communications channels (social media) - Advertising campaign (print ads, social media ads, online ads)

Reflection & Conclusions It is very important to ask ourselves as designers, artists, architects and anyone in the creative field about our contribution to the fight for a healthier planet. What can we do, to not only minimise the damage to the environment, but to create a positive impact through our work.

This project gave me the opportunity to explore what happens behind the scenes of large scale exhibitions and question the sustainability of our practices as producers and creators.

As many organisations, businesses and institutions move towards more sustainable practices, I believe the arts and cultural sector needs to lead the way.

One of the challenges faced throughout the project was getting exhibitors to speak openly about their current practices. In order for change to happen, it is important for organisations to be honest about where they are today and set goals for the future.

This service provides a step in the right direction for organisations that are willing to take the sustainable route to exhibiting and align themselves with sustainability goals.

It is important to mention that this service is built on partnerships, and without meaningful collaborations, it will not succeed.

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Figure 1 Avezzù, A. (2019) Lithuanian Pavilion at the Venice Art Biennale 2019 Available at: https://worldarchitecture.org/article-links/ecepp/lithuanian-pavilion-creates-artificial-beach-addressing-themost-pressing-ecological-issues-in-venice.html (Accessed: 12 November 2019).

Figure 7 The United Nations (no date) Goal 12 Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns Available at: https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-consumption-production/ (Accessed: 13 November 2019).

Figure 2 La Biennale di Venezia (2017) Biennale Arte 2017 | Biennale Arte 2017, over 615,000 visitors Available at: https://www.labiennale.org/en/news/biennale-arte-2017-over-615000-visitors (Accessed 12 November 2019).

Figure 9 Author’s Own

Figure 3 La Biennale di Venezia (2018). Biennale Architettura 2018 | Biennale Architettura 2018 closes on Sunday 25th Available at: https://www.labiennale.org/en/news/biennale-architettura-2018-closes-sunday-25th (Accessed: 12 November 2019).

Figure 4 Hayes, L. (2018) Opening halls of Biennale Architettura 2018 Available at: https://worldarchitecture.org/architecture-news/cempv/alejandro_aravena_uses_100_tons_of_waste_material_at_t he_venice_biennale_s_introductory_rooms.html (Accessed: 12 November 2019).

Figure 5 Author’s Own Figure 6 Author’s Own

Figure 8 Author’s Own

Figure 10 Author’s Own Figure 11 Avezzu, A. (2018) Mario Botta’s The Practice of Teaching installation Available at: https://www.architecturalrecord.com/articles/13493-venice-architecture-biennale-highlights-local-work (Accessed: 13 November 2019).

Figure 12 Halbe, R. (2018) Norman Foster’s Crosses Morphed into a Tensegrity Structure Available at: https://www.architecturalrecord.com/articles/13493-venice-architecture-biennale-highlights-local-work (Accessed: 13 November 2019).

Figure 13 Aljoša Dekleva’s and Tina Gregorič’s Home at Arsenale installation (2016) Available at: https://www.dezeen.com/2016/05/24/home-at-arsenale-slovenian-pavilion-library-dekleva-gregoric-architects-venic e-architecture-biennale-2016/ (Accessed: 13 November 2019) Figure 14 Design Council (no date) Design Methods for Developing Services Available at: https://www.designcouncil.org.uk/sites/default/files/asset/document/Design%20methods%20for%20developing%2 0services.pdf (Accessed: 13 November 2019).

Figure 15 Author’s Own Figure 16 Author’s Own

List of Figures 99

Ostendorf, Y. (2018) The Top 10 Most Pioneering Art/Sustainability Initiatives in the UK Available at: https://artistsandclimatechange.com/2018/03/08/the-top-10-most-pioneeri ng-art-sustainability-initiatives-in-the-uk/ (Accessed:12 November 2019).

MUSMECI, C. (2019) Venice Biennale 2019 The Future is Female Available at: http://www.leparadox.com/art/venice-biennale-2019-the-future-is-female/ (Accessed: 13 November 2019).

Vaswani, K. (no date) From Trash To Treasure – Repurposed Waste In Contemporary Art Available at: https://www.mashindia.com/trash-to-treasure.php (Accessed: 12 November 2019).

European Commission (2019) Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW) Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/construction_demolition.htm (Accessed: 12 November 2019).

The United Nations (no date) Goal 12 Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns Available at: https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-consumption-production/ (Accessed: 13 November 2019). https://rebiennale.org/it/ (no date) 2019 (Accessed: 18 November 2019).

Mangiapane, G. (2019) Squatters occupy Venice homes in housing protest as tourism surges Available at: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-italy-venice-squatters/squatters-occupy-venice-homes-in-housing-protes t-as-tourism-surges-idUSKCN1RO19M?fbclid=IwAR0 g7jJbPHvL8G0wtXY7cveiaqCEAOg-hc-Zomc8zeA6nzA 3zPqUtTa_no0 (Accessed: 18 November 2019).

Edwards, I (2015) Sustainability’s Missing Stakeholders: Nature and the Future Available at: https://www.triplepundit.com/story/2015/sustainabilitys-missing-stakeholders-nature-and-future/35081(Accessed: 13 November 2019).

Smith, C. and Da Mosto, J. (2019) How was it for you? Available at: https://weareherevenice.org/how-was-it-for-you/ (Accessed: 13 November 2019).

Mairs, J. (2016) 90 tonnes of waste form entrance to Venice Biennale Available at: https://www.dezeen.com/2016/06/02/venice-architecture-biennale-2016-recycled-waste-exhibition-entrances-alejan dro-aravena/ (Accessed: 13 Nov. 2019).

Sharp, E. (2019) How the art world is going green Available at: https://www.theartnewspaper.com/feature/the-art-world-goes-green Buckley, J. (2018) Venetians have torn down the new turnstiles separating locals from tourists Available at: https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/venice-segregation-tourists-locals-turnstiles-torn-down-pr otest-latest-brugnaro-a8328101.html (Accessed: 13 November 2019).

La Biennale di Venezia (2019) Meetings on Art at the Biennale Arte 2019 Available at: https://www.labiennale.org/en/news/meetings-art-biennale-arte-2019 (Accessed: 14 November 2019).

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Eni (2018) Eni and Veritas are working together to promote the circular economy by transforming Venice’s waste materials into energy resources.

Available at: https://www.eni.com/en_IT/media/2018/10/eni-and-veritas-are-working-together-to-promote-the-circular-eco nomy-by-transforming-venices-waste-materials-into-e nergy-resources# (Accessed: 14 November 2019).

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Birgisdรณttir, H. and Rasmussen, F. and Danish Building Research Institute (2016) Introduction to LCA of Buildings Available at: https://www.trafikstyrelsen.dk/~/media/Dokumenter/09%20Byggeri/Baredygtigt%20byggeri/TBST-2016-02-Introduction_ LCA_english.pdf (Accessed: 15 November 2019).

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Appendix A: Photo Ethnography Venice has a complex and sophisticated transport system Children playing in a residential area in Venice away from the masses of tourists.

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Appendix B: Empathy Map

Shock About The Unsustainable Practices Of Some Exhibitors

1. WHO are we empathizing with?

7. What do they THINK and FEEL?t

2. What do they need to DO?

Marco is a Venetian social and environmental activist and a member of Rebiennale, a collective of Venetian activists fighting back the depopulation of Venice.

There is so much potential in salvaging exhibition materials

Grow as a professional team to meet the demands of the Biennale.

Frustration for not being able to access information about exhibition materials

3. What do they need to DO? Many local residents leaving Venice or getting evicted from their homes because homeowners want to put up their homes on Airbnb.

6. What do they HEAR? In 2015 there was over 90 Tonnes of waste material generated from the Venice Art Biennale

Tons of reusable material from biennale exhibitions being trashed

5. What do they DO? Collect materials to refurbish homes. “We reuse leftover materials from exhibitions for urban regeneration projects in Venice .” Collaborate with students and architects/artists to create literacy around sustainability.

PAINS

GAINS

4. What do they SAY?

There are a lot of greenwashing strategies at the biennale. Not enough storage space. Some waste material collected is not reusable

Collaborations with high profile artists and architects. Reducing waste by reusing exhibition materials for refurbishing abandoned spaces

“the Rebiennale project was born from the squatters of Venice. Actually, I'm still a squatter because of the sad gentrification of Venice”

We are not formally endorsed by the biennale. It’s difficult to access and connect with exhibitions/pavilions

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it was a process we did in a condition of unconsciousness...so we were not, fully conscious about what we were doing, because the main purpose was the right of living or right of residency, so we started collecting materials to refurbish homes”

Appendix C: Early Prototype

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Appendix D: Projects Tab

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