Introduction

This book was born out of a need: to observe the Venetian artistic and cultural ecosystem beyond the stereotypes that make Venice a museum city, an icon of natural and man-made beauty in the eyes of the world. And its aim is to present the complexity and dynamism, as well as the contradictions and range of powers, which animate the contemporary city. Venice is an archipelago that, like other archipelagos on the planet, is endangered by rising sea levels. This led to early ecological concerns, on the basis of which cultural institutional organisations and independent bodies and groups have sought to raise public awareness, adopt strategies focused on care and respect (between the human and the non-human) and find more sustainable approaches to coexisting in a highly anthropised environment.