Biennale College Blend Programme description 2025

Biennale College Blend is a programme developed by La Biennale di Venezia with all its Artistic Directors and Departments designed for works that do not conform to a predefined form—a space for artists who wish to explore stories, ideas, and themes without an initial structure, creating complex experiences that may include multiple forms of expression such as music, visual arts, audiovisual media, performing arts, role-playing and more.

Blend aims to explore the aesthetic and narrative opportunities of harmonising various art forms, resulting in a cinematic experience. The term refers to the emotional engagement and immersion felt when encountering a work of art. It involves the overall atmosphere, even the rituals surrounding it, and how it connects with the audience through storytelling, visual design, sound, and emotional impact, making it memorable and often transformative.

Blend aims to support the development of 6 international projects presented by 6 artists accompanied by a member of their production team. The projects should be at concept stage and must be rooted in an audiovisual element, involving at least two other art forms.

Because Blend is a project focused on supporting the birth of brand new hybrid artistic projects, the coaching will also be innovative, using a larp approach.

larp is an immersive storytelling method where the participants collaboratively both creates and experiences a shared narrative. The focus is on direct participation and shared creation. Each participant will embody a character and contribute to a developing story within a pre-designed framework. This process allows for exploration of themes and interaction within a dynamic, unfolding environment. This experience offers a unique perspective on narrative, character, and collaborative art, potentially informing the individual artistic practice. It is designed to be a focused, practical engagement with an alternative form of artistic expression.

The applying teams accept to engage in a larp experience during the first three days of the workshop.

The teams are selected through an International call open to all Biennale Artistic Departments, offering them the opportunity to develop a hybrid project over one week of in-person sessions followed by online meetings that will enable and support the artists through the design and prototyping process.

This process will be guided by tutors who are experts in the digital realm, as well as artists, directors, storytelling specialists, sound designers, dancers, choreographers, composers, set designers, and architects. The program would include exploring potential funding options and developing a feasibility plan.

A Biennale College Blend Award of € 20,000 will be awarded to the most compellingly structured project, with the award potentially presented in Venice, in the context of La Biennale di Venezia activities.

The Biennale College Blend programme is realised thanks to the support of Ministero della Cultura.

The Biennale College Blend is a creative community that provides a space during this pilot edition for up to 12 participants (6 artists and a members of their producing team) to come together and work with an invited team of international experts and tutors for an in presence workshop and an online follow up.

The program will focus on the development of cross-media works anchored in an audiovisual element, encouraging innovative approaches to blending film, music, sound, design, and digital media. Participants will also explore potential funding options and develop a concrete feasibility plan for their projects.

While the program will not produce the work itself—given the potentially high budgets required for complex multimedia projects—it will provide participants with the creative framework and professional support needed to position their projects for future realisation.

The programme provides all the mentoring and accommodation. Travel costs must be covered by the participants.

The selected project teams have to commit to the entire programme and workshops: fulfil the requirements of La Biennale to meet the required deadlines, and contribute with their experience and ideas to the community of creatives attending the college.

On June 23^rd 2025 an International Call will be launched to select 6 Hybrid or multidisciplinary international projects, presented by teams of artist and producer, coming from all over the world.

Biennale College Blend will organise an International workshop, taking place on 2-9 February 2026.

A larp experience will unfold during the first three days, as a fictional reality seamlessly layered over the actual time and space of the San Servolo workshop. Each participant will take on a new identity, adopting a role and persona that may differ from their real-life position within the workshop. As the creative process progresses, unexpected events will begin to disrupt the natural flow of work, creating tension and forcing participants to abandon familiar methods and explore new, alternative approaches to creation. This blending of fiction and reality is designed to push boundaries, encouraging participants to engage more deeply with their creative instincts and discover fresh ways of thinking and collaborating. 

The last three days will include one-on-one mentoring sessions with invited tutors from film, dance, theatre, music, and visual arts. The insights from the larp will be integrated into the one-on-one meetings to inspire new creative approaches.

The teams will be invited to a second follow up workshop to be held online from 13^th to 16^th April 2026.

La Biennale di Venezia reserves the right in any case to modify, cancel or interrupt the initiative described above, in that the announcement or the selection do not constitute a binding contract for the same, nor do they entail the right to the reimbursement of any expense other than those specified above.

For further information:
college-blend@labiennale.org

23^rd June  2025 – Launch Call Biennale College  Blend

22^nd  September 2025 (23:59 CET) – Deadline Call Biennale College - Blend

By the end of October 2025 – result of the selection will be notified to the Biennale College - Blend applicants.

3 - 8 February 2026 - First International Workshop (Venice, travel days 2^nd – 9^th)

13 - 16 April 2026 - Second International Workshop - online