Archipelago for Possible Futures: Impressions from Venice Summit

On Saturday 9 May at Ocean Space, right in the heart of Venice, the Archipelago for Possible Futures Summit 2025 brought together a unique mix of artists, scientists, technologists, and policy thinkers to tackle some of the biggest questions facing Europe and the planet today. The event focused on how we can reimagine our future in the face of climate and digital crises—through creativity, collaboration, and bold new ideas.

The summit was curated by Francesca Bria and Jose Luis de Vicente, and organized by our partner TBA21–Academy at Ocean Space. The Venice summit built on the momentum of the initiative’s earlier stop at the New European Bauhaus Festival in Brussels in 2024.

The speaker lineup was as ambitious including climate fiction icon Kim Stanley Robinson, AI and society expert Kate Crawford, tech critic Evgeny Morozov, philosopher Benjamin Bratton, AI-art duo Holly Herndon and Mat Dryhurst, and the artist collective Superflex—and many more.

Architect and researcher Marina Otero Verzier also joined the program, which spanned discussions on topics like public AI, post-extractivist economies, governance of global commons (including oceans and outer space), and how art and science can work together to restore ecological systems.

As part of the program, Markus Reymann, TBA21 presented the Bauhaus of the Seas Sails initiative. His presentation emphasised how this growing European network is encouraging a more democratic and creative approach to sustainability—especially in coastal and marine environments. The Venice edition of the summit demonstrated how cultural institutions like Ocean Space and research programs like Bauhaus can come together to design new models of engagement, policy, and innovation.

The summit was streamed live and is now archived online at Ocean-Archive.org and the TBA21 YouTube channel, making it accessible to a global audience.

Jose Luis de Vicente, Francesca Bria and Markus Reymann open the event (Photos: Courtesy of Joe Habben)

Bjørnstjerne Christiansen, artist and co-founder of Superflex Studio (Photos: Courtesy of Joe Habben)

Ocean Space reintegrates the historic Church of San Lorenzo (Photos: Courtesy of Joe Habben)

Photos: Courtesy of Joe Habben

Photos: Courtesy of Joe Habben