THE LIFE IN VENICE - Analysing the mutual support between Venice and local cultural entrepreneurs

The city of Venice is going through a hard period that many consider as “the death of Venice”, characterized by aggressive touristic inflows, depopulation, economic struggles and a poor non-tourist-oriented cultural production. Such features clash with the expected vocation and reputation of Venice as the big cultural city par excellence. In this context, cultural entrepreneurs can play a crucial role in shifting the city out of its “death zone”, hence a dedicated study is required in order to analyse the case of Venice and raise it as the emblem of many other similar urban realities around the globe. In order to do so, the present research will determine how local cultural entrepreneurs contribute to establish a mutually supportive relationship with Venice. By relying on a holistic approach, this study builds up a theoretical framework based on the concept of the duo place-dwellers, arguing that these two units constitute an organic entity, rather than two separate elements. With a constant eye on the inherent symbiosis of these units, the theory inspects the concept of place-dwellers through three main constitutive dimensions: the city as a network of social interactions, the city as a symbolic system and the city as a local economy. This research avails itself of a qualitative method, collecting data from four still active Venetian cultural entrepreneurs, one entrepreneur whose activity is now ceased and on expert of the field. The outcomes prove the crucial role that cultural entrepreneurs have in supporting the city of Venice, and the influence that the city itself has on their enterprises. Ultimately, the mutual support succeeds in taking place only through some channels. The semiotic dimensions appears particularly influential from both sides, whereas the economic dimension presents the highest degree of problematics. The final suggestions address potential strategies to strengthen this relationships, bringing into play not only local cultural entrepreneurs, but also big cultural institutions like the Biennale, local universities and the municipality. The encouraged prospective is the establishment of an inclusive dialogue among the abovementioned actors with the aim of determining a clear vision for the future of Venice’s state of the cultural scene.