Migration Addicts

52nd Venice Biennale - Collateral Event

Dates: 6th-15th June, 2007

Venues: various public spaces in Venice

Are You Here？

"Are You Here?" is an urban mobile game that aims to explore Venice through its inhabitants and migrants.

More and more Venetians are leaving the lagoon to settle in other towns. In the next 30-40 years, it is certain that Venice's population will be dramatically reduced.

Bars, and hotel owners now come from abroad while the town is losing its original inhabitants and becoming more and more globalized. In Venice, thousands of tourists arrive everyday. The Observer provocatively wrote that if the only destiny of the town is low cost tourism then it would be better to have Venice managed by Disneyland Corporate.

A kind of paradox is happening. Venice could be anywhere; that "exotic" nature does not exist anymore. Labor migrants from Asia are welcoming you and serving you Italian food.