On this post I document and reflect on the making process of the piece I would like to exhibit at the festival.
The plan:
I would like to create something that englobes the process, the emotion, and the main elements of my project. Therefore I know that I want to include a map of Venice (which is where everything takes place), and things that symbolise the 5 different categories found on the map: Artisan, church, museum, historical fact, legend.
Thus, as part of the physical show, I would like to exhibit an installation comprising 3 parts:
A print of a map of Venice hung on a wall (this has changed, it now a stylised version of the tourist routes)
5 layers of transparent sheets (each with a different design) that will hang or be held in front of the map
A screen showing a demonstration of the app
The map of Venice is key because it is at the centre of my project. I have been mapping the city and finding out about its history and hidden corners while using it to support and built my interventions.
The 5 layers represent the process I had to go through to gather all the research. 5 is also the number of cultural categories showcased on the map: museums, artisans, random historical facts, churches, legends. Hence, I would like each layer’s design to convey one category.
The fact that they are not directly placed on top of the map and can be seen both separately or as a whole, conveys the beauty and importance of each element in the creation of a project.
The map combined with the 5 layers englobe my venture as a whole and showcase what the app contains.
Planning and executing the first test:
I thought it could be a good idea to design the map of Venice in a way that shows the problematic tourist route areas, while highlighting that Venice is so much more than those routes. Therefore, I thought that the first layer could be a white page with only a stylised version of the tourist routes, which I would like to be dark and threatening to appeal to the emotions.
Each of the 5 subsequent layers will have a portion of the city, which is not included in the tourist routes to show that there is way more that many people choose to see.
I designed a map, which I wanted intricate, sleek, and professional looking. Below are some examples of the different layers (4 out of 6). The base layer bottom right (tourist routes). When aligned they are supposed create a complete map of Venice.
Once I had this design, I decided to test it on a small scale with A4 see through paper, which can be printed on.
When placed on top of each other
I found that the reflective properties of the paper may become a problem as it was very har to photograph it. Furthermore, the tourist routes did not stand out very well. Perhaps that using another colour may help.
I thought about leaving it simple like this but it may be more interesting to add on each layer something unique that characterises the category it is conveying. To highlight the rich history and culture of Venice, I thought of including characteristics found on old maps, each layer adding something new.
Historical facts could be represented by ships. Legends by a sea monster. Museums by an image of Doge… This is still something I am working on, I am not too sure how how to covey churches and artisans in a subtle way that would be in harmony with and old map design.
Challenges:
Designing the layers in a way that they each add something, without overwhelming the work as a whole.
Harmoniously adding elements of old maps avoided caricatures and cheesiness
Thinking about how the installation is going to be lit as the refection of the paper may become problematic.
I think that finding a way to display the installation is going to be the most challenging part, as I have not yet been assigned a space. It would have been easier to be able to hang the layers from the ceiling but I do not think it will possible as they are too high in CSM. Other options include having each layer supported by two pieces that go to the ground (image 1), or displaying them on a table all placed on a different drawer, which can be removed to see the layers individually (image 2). I could also display them attached to the wall lie (image 3). Furthermore, the paper lacks structure, which may compel me to frame it.
1
2
3
Further developing the layers:
I started adding elements to my original design, things that would reflect each category’s uniqueness. I wondered which map elements I could include on each layers:
Legends: a sea monster (wonder)
Historical facts: ships (to represent the importance of Venice’s trade history)
Artisans: to be decided
Museums: to be decided
Churches: clock towers roof designs
Churches:
I wanted to find a way to represent this category in way that matched the style of the app and that wasn’t too obvious, like a cross. Therefore, since my map is flat and has not perspective, I thought I could play with architectural components of churches. The one element that appears almost every time is the bell tower. The roofs have characteristic shapes that can subtly refer to the places of worship on my map.
I went on google maps and screenshotted various churches that are away from the tourist routes from an areal view, thinking I could trace them on adobe illustrator. Her are some examples:
However, the quality is really bad, and it would take me a very long time to trace each one (there are 30 in total). I was advised by architect Alan lock (more about him in Epxerts’ input) to use Rhinoceros 3D for architectural rendering. According to him, it was easier to get 3d model of Venice bell towers on the 3D Warehouse website, keep the top view of the tower and then transfer it to adobe illustrator. We scheduled a zoom call and did that together.
They ended up looking like the picture below. There is still some editing to do such as lecture and colour so that they pop on the map.
I know that such structures do not appear in old maps, but I still think that there structure is fascinating and that it subtly relate to a side of Venice’s history, without being too obvious about it.
Once I had those ready, I started adding them to the map. I quite like the look of them but I thing I should find a way to made them stand out more. They will probably have to be made thicker and in another colour.
Historical facts:
To represent historical facts on the map, I thought to add vintage looking ships all over. When you look at old Venice maps, the lagoon is always very busy with ships, boats, and gondolas. They symbolise the strength of the Republic, its trading power, its dynamism, and life. My main inspiration for this was the map below.
I found vector images of old ships, which matched the aesthetic I was going for. I cleaned them up a little and started adding them to the map. Their shade does not quite go with the rest of the map yet, so it is something I need to experiment with. Overall, they add life to the composition.
Legends:
For this category I was thinking about adding a depiction of the sort of sea monster found on old maps to emphasise the dream-like enchantments of legends. Something like this…
The I remembered that one of the legends featuring on the app is about a mermaid. Therefore, I decided that having an old representation of a mermaid would be a good way to link this layer back to the app.
So here is how it look so far:
The visuals can definitely be improved, but I think I am on the right track.
Possible way to exhibit the installation:
I may have found a more simple and convenient way to display the installation. Instead of setting up contraptions attached to the ceiling or walls (CSM might not appreciate) I found that I could use poster stands that would be placed in a line. This also fixes my floppiness problem as my sheets will be secured between two acrylic stands.
I had a look online and found two A3 styled that I like. A portrait style one with black frames and a simple landscape stand.
The framed one looks very ecstatically pleasing, however, the portrait style does not really match with how I have designed the map (maps are usually landscape). Therefore, I would have to adapt my material to this format.
The simple landscape stand is not as fancy looking but has the format I originally intended. Thankfully, i still have some time to decide.
In this journal I react and reflect on my most significant posts, those that best represent the process of my work and which instigate the most interesting reflections. Each section is linked to the post it reacts to.
When I started thinking about what worries me in the world, I immediately considered Venice. Being Venetian, to me, this city is a book where stories of art, history, and culture come together for people to share and experience. Although many pages were written in its glorious past, the surviving population keeps adding to the work, trying to keep it afloat for future generations.
Venice is much more than what appears on the various social media, mainstream guides, or the first page of google images. Despite all its underlying problems, and there are many, the Serenissima keeps on living. Many aspects of Venice worried me other than that the one I ultimately opted for (tourism), including the rise of sea levels.
The latter is a consequence of global warming and, thus, a worldwide phenomenon, which operates at a scale way beyond what I thought I could ever affect. I did not feel comfortable tackling such I huge subject, I could not see what I could do to improve the situation and maintained that there are plenty of people way more qualified than I to deal with this. However, in retrospect, I have learned that you can always have an impact as minute as it may be.
Furthermore, I was asking the wrong questions such as: How can I prevent excess water from flooding the city? Instead, I should have led with something like: How can I help minimize the damage? The subject would have immediately become more approachable.
Consequently, I decided to explore the damaging consequences of tourism, which I felt I could have more impact on. Mass tourism is something I have experienced all my life, I have witnessed first-hand the negative impacts it has had on the city as it increased through the years. I think I can pinpoint exactly when my younger self realised that it was a threat to the Venetian culture. My mom used to take me to this little clothing boutique, where they sold high-quality Italian products. We knew the employees quite well so it was nice to visit them whenever I was in Venice on holiday. However, when I returned the next school break we went back to the boutique only to discover that it had been replaced by a commercial candy shop chain, which has spread across the city like wildfire these last couple of years.
This experience put things into perspective and I realised that local businesses were not the priority, tourist attractions were. Thus, I became more attentive to the topographic changes, which adapted Venice to the needs of the tourists while disregarding those of the locals. When I got older, I took an even deeper interest in the subject and worked with a non-profit organisation working towards the preservation of the city (We are Here Venice). There, we fought against the crew ships which threatened the city’s delicate infrastructure, while polluting the air and the fragile lagoon. My time there solidified my understanding of Venice’s problems and showed me that there was space for change.
Therefore, I felt more comfortable choosing mass tourism for this project, while knowing that it is an extremely complex and controversial subject. Of course, I knew that I could not eliminate mass tourism. Tourism, in general, has many positive aspects such as cultural exchange and the flourishing of economies, however, it can be poorly managed, which is when mass tourism becomes damaging. Tourism should help preserve and strengthen host locations but never to the detriment of the locals’ well-being.
When I started this project I had various worries and uncertainties that I knew I would have to face. I worried I would not manage to bring anything new to the discussion, to merely repeat what had already been attempted.
Moreover, due to my shyness and occasional lack of self-confidence, I was terrified to contact people and tell them about the project. I did not want people to judge my work and find it uninteresting or useless. I had to make a big effort to overcome this mental block and get my ideas out there, even when they were met with doubt. This reluctance to communicate was also linked to fear of being illegitimate, to not fully having the right to get involved in Venice’s affairs. This originated from the fact that as I did not grow up there, I sometimes feel like an outsider.
However, I met really supportive people along the way, which helped legitimise my ideas and gain confidence. Although it was difficult at the beginning, I had no options but to start sharing and little by little, as I got used to vocalising my ideas (a little bit like learning a script), which were being refined by interventions, research, and conversations, I became more accustomed to it.
It would be nice to be able to say that I am cured of this difficulty, but it is an ongoing battle. At the time a surpass such block I feel happy and proud but I quickly forget that I am capable of doing it. The answer would be to never stop.
Finding a balance between technology and reality was also challenging and still is. Following primary and secondary research I came to the conclusion that an app would be the best vessel for this project, which I predicted would make it more challenging to promote authenticity while relying heavily on technology. The point is not to have people walking around the city with their eyes fixated on their phones. The aim is to create an immersive exploration of the city. I still wonder if it is the best way to process as, paradoxically, I am an advocate for being less dependent on technology. I do feel it is contradictory to promote authentic experiences with more screen time, but I find it really hard to “disconnect” from the world we are living in. Maybe I chose the easy way out by heavily relying on technology… if in-person interactions had not been reduced by the pandemic I may have tried to develop something more rooted in the real world.
Finally, as I come from an academic background, I worried about app-building. When I started this project I knew nothing about creative software and coding. Fortunately, I contacted experts in the field who agreed to help me. While I am writing this journal I have just started the app creation process. I have many questions and uncertainties, but am really enjoying the design process and creating visual models of what the app will look like.
I wanted to explore gamification because it seemed like a good way to make tourists more interested in the history and culture of the city while engaging with it in a more entertaining way. It is a classic example of learning while having fun. It was interesting to learn about the different elements that turn a normal experience into a game.
I was also really interested in augmented reality to bring to life aspects of Venice, which had decayed or disappeared. This lead me to research photogrammetry and various apps that offered this feature. At this point, I started to get a little ahead of myself, wanting to create a scavenger hunt type of game, which would include interactions with locals and cultural institutions, a very complicated narrative and app design, and the assembling of a knighthood supposed to bring together Venetians and tourists.
Looking back, it would have been really fun to develop what I had in mind if I had more time and a team of people to help. I had a very detailed vision of how the game would work and of the narrative that would have tied it together. I wanted the story to parallel Venice’s current situation even if it was set in another era, which would have educated the tourists about the problem without coming across as preachy.
Through the story of the ghost of a murdered merchant, a cursed object, and a knighthood, I wanted tourists to feel like they had a stake in Venice, and that they would join the fight for its preservation.
A better format for this idea would have been a straight on video game with a clear quest and characters (not something realistic to create), or an elaborate real-life/role play game event, where actors are hired to re-enact the story and help players throughout the adventure (again the scale was too big).
However, I was so sure about the direction I wanted to follow that I mistakenly jumped into it before having done a sufficient amount of research and testing. When I got to Venice, I realised that my expectations were unrealistic and that I had to re-adjust my project to finish the course with something presentable.
Furthermore, there were various aspects of this game that could become problematic. For instance, playing a game that involves excitement and time constraints may have distracted tourists from the city’s history, while perhaps causing inappropriate behaviour in places where respect must be shown (ex: churches, museums). Keeping all this in mind, in addition to various other factors, I decided to change how I was going to use gamification. Instead of telling users where to go and what to do while unambiguously playing a game, they would, instead, be able to walk around lead by their explorative instincts and will be rewarded by information charged notification whenever they drift away from the tourist routes, which will help them learn more about the city. I realised that, sometimes, less is more and do not necessarily have to come up with something huge in order to have an impact. My previous interactive scavenger hunt idea was stressing me out and felt like it would crush me. Hence, I went for something more manageable but, which still has something to bring to the table, hopefully. Putting too much pressure and one’s shoulders is not necessarily productive nor the catalyst to one’s best work.
Since my project heavily relies on history and culture, I had to have a good understanding of Venice’s history. I did a lot of reading to absorb as much interesting information as possible. I had the opportunity to learn a great amount about Venice, which inspired me even more and made me feel closer to my roots. There is a particular medieval tradition I came across, which profoundly touched me “The Doge’s marriage to the sea”. Indeed, when a new Doge (ruler of Venice) was appointed, he was to sail into the Adriatic, pray and throw a ring into the water to symbolize the union between the city and the sea.
I find this tradition very poetic and a perfect representation of Venice’s fusional relationship with the sea and the lagoon. This is the sort of anecdote that I want to share with people, to convey that there is much more to Venice than Saint Mark’s square and the Rialto bridge.
When it comes to art history research, when I still wanted to build an interactive narrative-based game experience, I thought to provide the history of certain art pieces, while “hiding” clues within them in order to feed the “scavenger hunt” game.
As I am passionate about art history, I was very excited to use the contents and history of some Venetian art pieces to enrich the narrative and create an adventure. Thus, I looked for specific details and symbolism in the artworks that could be somehow linked to the rest of the, although I was not sure which locations were going to end up on the tour for sure.
I am a little sad that in the final rendition of my project there will not be any detailed explanations of important artworks as the app is meant to encourage tourists to enter cultural institutions, not showcase everything that can be found within. Furthermore, it would have been impossible to explain every single piece of artwork from every stop on the map.
The history/art history research is what allowed me to write some of the anecdotes that appear on the map. These are the sort of things that tourists will read when they receive a notification. The anecdotes are organised into 3 main categories: the anecdotes that refer to specific elements of Venice’s topography ex a church, the ones that are about random facts about the city’s history, and finally nudges to visit certain artisan shops.
They evolved throughout my interventions as I got feedback from my stakeholders. They started as quite dry and bulky pieces of text to more engaging and easy-to-digest messages for the users. Initially, I found it challenging to make the anecdotes accessible, interesting, and engaging. I wanted to keep everything in instead of filtering out information. I finally managed to make them sound more narrative-like instead of a mere retelling of facts. Having my stakeholders read them out loud really helped me with this as I could see what was boring, poorly structured, or incomprehensible.
Furthermore, the number of anecdotes increased as experts and locals advised me to add new places and interesting histories. I had the opportunity to exchange many times with a Venice historian, who helped me find unique features of the city, such as the various houses composer Vivaldi lived in throughout his life. Although my time with this expert was extremely valuable, it would have been interesting to have contacted more historians to get additional perspectives, ideas, and advice to complement my research.
Reflections about tourism:
(This a stand alone section, which reflects on some of the the reading I have done, which can be found in my bibliography, and the experience I have acquired).
I have a much better understanding of tourism now than when I started. I combined my primary research, personal experience and secondary research to form my opinion ,and reflections about the subject. I series of authors have greatly helped me in my research. For instance, Erik Cohen’s paper title titled The Sociology of Tourism: Approaches, Issues, and Findings (1984) conveys some very interesting views.
The author talks about ‘staged tourist spaces’, where the staged authenticity of a location prevents mass tourists from experiencing real culture. This idea is perfectly reflected in Venice where routes are highly manufactured and adapted to tourism, overshadowing expressions of the true city. Moreover, Cohen references MacCannel’s conception of tourism as the modern equivalent of a religious pilgrimage. The idea is that people need to travel elsewhere in order to witness marks of authenticity, which they believe their culture does not possess, and which have become sacred.
I find this idea fascinating in a world where we tend to romanticise other people’s lives, especially through social media. It is true that tourists idealise host locations and sometimes believe they will find what they lack in their life or themselves on their journey. Could this mindset be facilitating making excuses for why we are not happy? I can see why it is easier to observe other people in the hopes of experiencing positive realisations such as an epiphany, rather than looking inward and making changes in our lives/reality.
I am not trying to say that escapism is wrong, or that praising other cultures and locations is problematic, I do it all the time, but believe that it is important to appreciate what we have and see the beauty and authenticity that surrounds us.
Although it can be destructive when badly managed, tourism is vital to the well-functioning of the world economy. It has contributed to the survival of certain cultures and keeps bringing people together by broadening their horizons. However, there are types of tourism that are more beneficial and respectful than others. In Venice, cultural tourists represent the smallest percentage of tourists and yet are the most profitable group by far. Of course, most spend one or more nights in the city and thus spend more money, but have an appreciation of the city that is usually not present in day tourists.
It is common that host locations are perceived by day tourists as movie sets, facades that do not have any deeper levels, or that only exist for tourists’ benefit. They come with the intention of seeing marks of culture without truly engaging with it. Most artisans and locals I spoke to conveyed that there was a true lack of curiosity and sometimes respect in that particular group. It is undeniable that there is a wedge between tourists and locals although they depend from each other.
Consequently, through this project, I wanted to transfer some of the traits found in cultural tourists to day tourists. Perhaps it is very presumptuous of me to want to make this change, but it is my way of trying to revalue some of the tourism in Venice. Inspire a group to seek more, instead of settling for less. It would also be wrong to assume that everybody can afford cultural tourism or even know that cultural tourism is an option, but there is always hope to encourage someone towards that direction.
I believe that tourism becomes damaging and too invasive once the topography of the host location dramatically changes to benefit the tourists, for instance replacing local shops with cheap souvenir shops. Of course, local municipalities and governments are the ones to blame for poor tourism management, while the tourists should become more aware that their presence affects the places they visit and, thus, act in consequence.
When I did this first intervention I was still exploring the interactive scavenger hunt idea so I decided to design a fake website that outlines my game idea. The imaginary platform was called “Knights of Venice”. I had designed 6 detailed pages to showcase my idea. Although I think the execution was quite good (for a non-designer), as mentioned before, I was too quick to jump into this sphere, I had built an entire world without doing the proper testing first or considering other options. I had complete tunnel vision. Although at this stage, I should have kept an open mind, I don’t regret this intervention as it helped me see certain limitations and I genuinely enjoyed creating an adventurous and magical game.
One of the reasons I was so attached to this version of the project was because of the “Knights of Venice”, which were an order from the past that appeared in the narrative. The aim was that people who played the game would have the opportunity to join them and somehow get involved in the preservation of the city. This idea came from primary research where I found out tourist psychology. A way to make tourists respect the host location is to make them feel like they have a stake, that they are involved more than an ordinary tourist. Hence, making them knights of the city would have been a fun way to include them further and perhaps inspire them to come back. This is a layer that the current iteration of my project does not tackle as well, which is a shame, but I was forced to make decisions, it is impossible to fix everything.
I am genuinely interested in the local-tourist dynamic and wish it could be improved, indeed in Venice, there is a lot of animosity between the two groups, which only fuel the fire.
Finally, the “Knights of Venice” were inspired by the knights of the order of Saint Mark, which was the only knighthood in Venice. It was dismantled in the 18th century when the Republic of Venice fell. I wanted to bring back some of their story to life and create a sense of community in the city.
Mapping Venice was a key component of my project, as I needed a good understanding of the areas I wanted to explore. I started the process online while still in London and created various routes containing landmarks that I considered to be off the beaten track. Although this helped me learn about certain places, when I arrived in Venice, I realised that the routes did not translate well in real-life. It was a little stressful at the time because I felt lost and struggled to conduct interventions because everything looked different from my online maps. However, it made me understand that ground research was going to be my best friend. The explorative part of the project thus began.
It is quite interesting to see that what I did in order to gather all the information for the app, is exactly what I want the users to do…explore. I walked at least 15 km every day and made my way through back allies, forgotten squares, and hidden gems. It really was the best part of the project. I discovered a side of Venice that I never expected (and I have visited the city thousands of times). It was a lot of work, long days, note-taking, picture taking, getting lost sometimes, but ultimately, the more I spent time in the streets the more I felt connected to my roots.
Most of my interventions during the summer involved taking stakeholders around Venice. It was lovely to share my research with people, especially when they were discovering the city for the first time. I was nervous before each intervention because I wanted to create a suitable experience for those who took the time to help me with my project, I was also seeking their validation and could not bear to disappoint. As I accumulated interventions, I realised that it is normal to have things going wrong, especially in the early stages, as those instances made me learn the most. It was not necessary to put so much pressure on myself and I finally started to enjoy the process.
I think that the interventions helped my project evolve positively, as it started as a very complicated augmented reality game experience and became something way more manageable, which could still have a meaningful impact.
Interacting with different individuals, I learned a lot about what people look for in a tourist experience. Travellers like to feel special like they are part of a secret club that will give them access to special information. They also often need a little nudge to get out of their comfort zone and explore certain things, especially when buying a ticket is involved. I think that in a city like Venice one becomes overwhelmed by its surroundings, too many stimuli, and confusion brought by a unique environment, which are intensified by time constraints, particularly the problem of day tourists.
I kept a note of all the recommendations given by stakeholders, some featured on the app, but ultimately, I had to keep in mind that it is impossible to please everyone. Although taking into consideration people’s feedbacks is extremely fruitful to a project, the risk lies in losing its original essence. Thus, it is key to compromise. For instance, the first time a stakeholder mentioned developing an audio version, I was a little on the fence about it, as the stakeholder was suggesting that she would walk around with her earphones on at all times. There was something a little off about discovering Venice by being disconnected from its sounds. However, this idea kept coming up in people’s suggestions and I started warming up to the thought. It is true that being able to look up at a structure while receiving vocal information about it is a good way to immerse oneself. It is not for nothing that museums use audio guides…
On the other hand, a “nudge feature” was suggested to me in case users were struggling to find the right spots with anecdotes. I decided not to add to my list of possible features as it went against the principles of my project. I did not want people to keep their eyes on the map at all times trying to find the stops. Having a “nudge feature” would suggest that the app works like a Gps, which it does not. One is supposed to follow their explorative instincts and be rewarded with an interesting piece of information for it. There is no set route, one must walk freely.
There are many ways I could have improved these interventions. For instance, most stakeholders had already quite a prominent interest in culture and history, what if I had tried them on someone less inclined to be interested in these things, would my anecdotes be accessible to them? Would they be bored and skip all of them (or at least the longer ones?). Furthermore, testing my interventions with a greater number of people would have been a great way to consolidate my findings. For instance, I could have been bolder and have created a filmed event with a group of people to see how the idea works with assemblies. It is a shame I did not think about it this summer, although I suspect that my shyness may have prevented me from going through with it.
Over the summer I also worked on a different style of intervention, which was movie-based. I worked on the creation of a promotional video to see how a wider range of stakeholders reacts to the idea. There were various elements to this media that I was not familiar with: filming, editing sound, and image etc. Luckily I was helped by a friend (for filming) and by a designer (for editing). I am glad to have chosen this format as I was able to acquire new skills (how to use aftereffects, how to structure and advert), moreover, it was lovely to learn how to translate the beauty of the city onto film. It also allowed me to solidify the relationship I had with a couple of artisans as I asked them if they could demonstrate some of their craft for the camera. We talked about my project, about their experience as Venice artisans, about tourism etc. It was incredible to see the traditional technique to make Venetian paper and to see that despite the difficulties, these people are passionate about what they are doing and hold on tight to their craft.
I was happy to see that the video was well received by the stakeholders, which understood the idea most of the time. It was very encouraging to see comments saying that the app should be applied to all historical cities, although I think that it is most compatible with mainly pedestrian environments.
Most of the criticism came from the quality of the video, writing difficult to read or lacking some aspects are more professional productions. If I could do it again I would make the production more professional, dedicating more time to the planning and getting people with movie-making experience to help. I would also get someone to replace me on the video as I did not particularly like being filmed.
This may be something I should work on as, for some reason, on some level, I did not want my face to be associated with the project. This must come from my shyness and preference to remain discreet and work behind the scenes. Wishing to distance myself thus from my project was a way to protect myself from people’s judgement, especially if I fail. Therefore, it is key that I keep working on my self-confidence and stop fearing to endorse my ideas. I am happy that I made efforts in that regard and feel like there is an improvement since the start of the project.
There was one comment left by a stakeholder, which reinforced doubts I already had and which have also been expressed by my tutor. The remark is that If the app becomes popular, it may attract too many people in the quiet areas, which will become crowded making the selling point obsolete. This scenario is in the eventuality that the app becomes extremely popular and that most day tourists decide to use, which is very unlikely. In Venice, there are tour apps where users can see what sort of museums are around, that does not mean that said museums are overcrowded with people, on the contrary, most are quite quiet. The aim of the project is not to make everyone visit these under-explored areas but to inspire a few people to seek a more cultural way of experiencing the city. The success of the app will not be measured in numbers but whether a user has gone through the city in a way that they would not normally have (away from the tourist routes) and learned something about Venice.
But if we go along with the hypothesis that tourists in great numbers will migrate to the areas advertised by the app, their number will spread out more evenly throughout the city, which means that the usual tourist routes will become more manageable and there may be more space for authentic experiences to reclaim the spaces that had been taken by low quality and inauthentic experiences.
This was my final intervention where I wanted to test design ideas for the app with my stakeholders. I wanted to see with them what the map of Venice could look like and whether there should be an option to choose a “recommended route”, which came up a few times over the summer.
I was able to see what colour palettes they enjoyed the most for the app, but I also got pointed out by my tutor that I may have unintentionally manipulated people’s answers by having the answer I wanted appear first on the page. I knew I wanted more people to choose the “explore Venice freely” option as my project revolves around the idea that free exploration is more compatible with Venice’s urban landscape. The “recommended route” option I was sceptical about because it goes back to the concept of the controlled route which I moved away from. Therefore, the design “Explore Venice freely” came first, which may have influenced the participants.
I really wanted to stay true to my core idea and not start having some additional options that went against in order to attract more people or to make the potential business idea somehow more profitable. I will try to be more scientific in my future endeavours.
I think it would have been nice to test more elements of the app design like the overall colour palette of different styles of logo. Nonetheless, the intervention helped me see that the current palette was quite cold and boring. Therefore, it gave me the idea to find colours that would authentically reflect the atmosphere of the city, which I talk about in more detail in the app design section.
There were several instances during this project, which helped me move forward in a significant way. The most interesting part is seeing how it has evolved. Indeed, it started as an interactive narrative-based game with set routes to transition into an exploration-based app. Many factors made me change my mind such as: wanting to address too many issues, tourist time constraints, logistics, difficult Venetian and tourist involvement etc.
There was one particular interaction, which made me question everything and pushed me towards the version of the project that exists today. I approached a group of artisans that work in the same shop to present my project to them and see if they would be interested. Unfortunately…. or fortunately they were not, and had quite a defensive reaction to it, as they seemed to have an aversion for day tourists or for tourists that come into the shop without buying anything. Although I understood how irritating crowds of people can be, especially when they lack respect for the locals and the city, I found them incredibly snobbish about their craft. They were only interested in people that spend in their shop and not about those who had questions about their craft. They had absolutely no concept of sharing, which was enhanced by the fact that refused to plan workshops because they did not want to interact with people.
At the time, this was extremely disappointing to me as they were the first artisans I spoke to. I felt like I was being talked down at during the entire interaction and left completely discouraged. However, it revealed to me that I was putting too much pressure on myself and highlighted the problematic elements mentioned previously. However, instead of moping I worked on finding a solution as soon as I got home. I must admit that I was not against the idea of finding a way to minimise people’s direct involvement, which was central to my previous version.
I kind of wanted to help the city without necessarily needing to ask for permission or to spend too much time and energy convincing everyone I wanted to get involved to be part of the project (locals can be very difficult). Furthermore, since I was now questioning everything, I realised that by creating routes, I was mirroring the system of the tourist routes, which I was trying to avoid. Hence, I started exploring a non-linear alternative.
Luckily, I did find some supportive artisans as well, which helped consolidate my primary research by sharing their personal experiences with me and to practice presenting my ideas to other people. Talking to people was the best way to gain confidence and to improve how to convey ideas. As at the beginning of the adventure I was more comfortable talking about my project in English since this is the language I used to frame and structure it, on a few occasions I must have miscommunicated certain things while conversing in Italian. Two experts were under the impression that I wanted to get rid of or control mass tourism, which is absolutely not the case. I found that when I use strong words with certain people (mass tourism, unprofitable, problematic etc), they develop an extreme perception of what my project aims to do. Perhaps I should have been more measured with my words, however, I still find it important not to dilute the message trying not to sound too radical.
I understood the importance of ground research and how key it was for me to be in Venice while working on this project. Although I have been to Venice many times, I investigated areas that were not familiar to me, which often made me get lost. Relating the loss of the physical self to the one of the researcher, I found the significance of such a feeling. One needs to lose one’s bearings in order to discover something new and exciting. I am, therefore, grateful to have experienced moments of confusion in the city and my project. This made me consider new approaches, ideas, and places, which may have remained hidden from me had I not been so disoriented. For instance, I would not have found most of the artisans that appear on the app.
I was very fortunate that all the experts that I contacted made my project grow in one way or another. Although sometimes scary, talking to stakeholders helped validate my work and add crucial elements that I would not have been able to provide on my own. For instance, I am indebted to the experts that helped me with the technological side of the process as my experience in it was very limited. I was taught adobe illustrator, photoshop, and AfterEffect by an architect, which I used in my last interventions to create design options, in my app promotion video, and to give visual support to the software engineer helping me develop the app.
I also attempted to learn to code and to use Unity game design software, which I found very interesting but completely draining and similar to learning a new language. Nonetheless, it showed me the work that goes into each digital project, which is immense and I definitely found a new appreciation for those that belong to this sphere. In the beginning, I thought that by learning game design basics, I could make the app myself, but it was too difficult for me and the time-constrained did not help. I had to learn how to delegate. I was relieved to find a software engineer willing to help me. I was able to focus more on the design, which is an aspect I really enjoy, while the development was done by a professional. Fortunately, I also had the opportunity to get involved by completing small tasks to speed up the process, such as recreating the map I had imagined on a software compatible Unity game design software.
I also spoke with local experts, which had a good knowledge of Venice’s inner workings (a city planning councillor and a university professor). Although one was incredibly pessimistic about Venice’s situation, as he has witnessed how any attempts to install change failed, which did not really help me feel confident about what I was doing. I found that there are many people in Venice who have lost hope of seeing it rise again, especially the older generations, who are stuck in memories of the past. It is difficult for them to visualise something better for the future, which really saddens me. Fortunately, there are some young people who try to find ways to keep the city alive, including a non-profit called Venice Calls. When I was in Venice, I was supposed to have a conversation with its founder but it did not end happening, which is a shame. It would have been really nice to associate somehow perhaps, although it is too late now to achieve something meaningful before the deadlines I think I would still like to contact him after the course finishes to see if we can work something out together.
The travel agent and the historian I contacted gave me some new material to explore for the app and made me appreciate the city even more thanks to their knowledge. It was lovely to see that although they live in the city all year long, they still look at it with wonder and amazement. The historian had an analogy for Venice that will stay with me forever. She said that Venice is like a rock star who has already proved everything and does not need to put much effort into their looks, as people will still be entranced by their music and their persona. Here she refers to what the Romantics in the 19th century loved about Venice, its architectural decadence. As long as the building does not fall into pieces it is ok to have a little paint coming off here and there, it is now part of the citie’s personality. I agree with this image, although I do not think we should only rely on what was established by its glorious past, but instead look at ways to optimise it and bring new opportunities to assure a more dynamic future. Let’s just hope that this Rockstar has many more centuries to go.
These one 2 ones were my preferred mode of gathering information as it is a good way of getting honest opinions and widening one’s network. There were all done in real-life, which after months of Covid was refreshing to see people. I have to say that I am very proud of this section as it really forced me to get out of my comfort zone to go talk to strangers. Each time before setting out, I did feel nervous but after the first interaction I felt more comfortable and the rest scared me less.
Here as well, I did have an unpleasant conversation with a museum manager who did not like me asking questions about how the museum was doing. The lady was extremely condescending and basically told me to go through a long and complicated process to get information. Her reaction surprised me because I was having very informal conversations with the staff and was not trying to get specific numbers or compromising statistics. Thankfully, this was the last museum I was going to approach so it did not scare me from contacting other cultural institutions. What I did learn from this is that I could have gotten some more reliable information about the museums I visited, if I had gone through a more formal process (if they had been willing to share their data with me). At the time, I liked the idea of being spontaneous and getting information quickly, which works, but it would have been good to also have contacted people higher up.
These conversations also confirmed that the app could be beneficial for many stakeholders (tourists and locals) as they both confirmed some ideas that I had researched and tried to impact with my project. For instance, some of the tourists I interviewed were loving Venice but were a little overwhelmed and unsure of where they should go and what they should do. Most also agreed that their ideal tourist experience does not include any other tourist but them, which parallels what I am trying to achieve (encourage people to see what is less mainstream).
I must admit that when I visit a place I tend to wish there were less tourists around and less low-quality targeted businesses (although I understand they make the livelihood of many people). Because of my Venice experience, I recognise very well unauthentic tourist attractions and it puts me off. On the other hand, I understand that sometimes finding familiar places in foreign countries such as a cafe chain you really enjoy, can feel reassuring, however, it is wrong to completely change the topography of a location to benefit the tourists as this truly affects authenticity. A balance should be maintained and local businesses should be prioritised. Venice is too reliant on tourism, it should expand its horizons and explore other ways to make a profit such as education, environmental study, start-ups etc.
I am currently in the process of developing the app (OffzTrack). I have been enjoying the design process as it allows me to explore a side of creativity that was absent in my academic background. Having had to research other apps for inspiration, I have become more appreciative of the design work behind them. Since we use our phones so much nowadays, it is like we are living through the eyes of people who are designing our lives. Everything is made to be efficient, accessible, aesthetic.
These thoughts take me back to (worries and uncertainties) where I question whether relying on technology is necessarily the best way of promoting authenticity. I tend to find apps quite dry and feel conflicted about adding to the lot, it feels like there are already apps for anything and everything. It is quite overwhelming. Anyways, this research helped me understand how to structure my app.
I got the opportunity to further practice my adobe illustrator skills by creating a mock-up of what I am envisioning the app to look like. It was not easy coming up with something comprehensive and intuitive as I tend to over-complicate things sometimes. I also questioned the colour palette that should be used as in my previous interventions I went for a dark purple and white, which I cannot really justify and find rather cold.
When it comes to any visual representation, colours are key and I wanted to them convey Venice’s authenticity. Thus, I chose the 5 colours that best reflect the city as they can be found anywhere. I really think it injected life into the visuals and made me more excited about the development of the app. Using colour is a little intimidating as whenever I do something creative such as drawing, collaging, photography, I prefer to stick to black and white. It always felt like emotions were emphasised because of the harsh contrast between the two colours, and felt uneasy when having to use a wider palette. However, this project needs to appeal to many different people, and I wanted to create warmth, which is not compatible with my usual style.
Having someone to help me develop the app is greatly appreciated and teaches me how to collaborate with someone. I need to be on point and provide any information he requires and be to communicate what I want efficiently. I also need to learn how to manage my expectations and accept what is feasible, especially when the process is going a little slower than I would like it to. I am quite organised so I can get frustrated when it is not always reflected in the people I work with. In this case, I don’t have much control over the tech side so I must make my peace with it and I do what I can to keep it all going while maintaining a good work atmosphere. I feel the best when I can help on the tech side because it I feel more useful and productive. For instance, I learned how to use a new map design site to recreate the map I had imagined on adobe illustrator.
Working with audio gives an entirely new dimension to the project. Adding an audio version to the app had been advised by numerous stakeholders throughout out my interventions. I chose an English native speaker to lend his voice, as we had previously worked together. I think it was a great choice his tone really brought to life my writing, however, I had an interesting conversation with my tutor about the possible lack of authenticity in not having a local speak the texts. I completely understand the reasoning and would have loved to have a local get involved, however, language gets in the way. Indeed, when one is conveying information, the diction needs to be very clear especially since it must be assumed that some of the people who will be listening to the recordings will not have English as their first language. Unfortunately, most Venetians do not have a good enough level of English to carry out this task. Furthermore, I was looking for someone who had experience in theatre or media to make the intonation sound more professional. In the future, it would be wonderful to have locals record their own suggestions for users, perhaps in addition to the main recordings as a more informal piece of advice.
Following my last meeting with the software engineer, I can see that things are really coming along. He recreated almost perfectly what I had designed, which I am very grateful for. I can see all the months of research and conceptualising coming to life and it is reducing my stress levels.
As it is a prototype, there are a few features that I had imaged that will not appear on the app. For instance, being able to take a photo at the geolocated spot and share it on the app, to create a spirit of community and to increase the fun. Furthermore, the setting page will not be as detailed as I would have liked, with options to enable and disable notifications but for the purpose of this project, what I will deliver will give a clear idea of my thinking process, and aim.
I was told by the engineer that installing the geolocation feature to this prototype would take longer and would need further on-site testing (in Venice). Therefore, for the sake of this “first attempt”, we came up with an alternative. We can move a virtual character with a joystick, the character hovers over an icon and the anecdote appears.
Although it is disappointing not to finish the course with a perfect product, this alternative is still a good compromise for now as it mimics the initial geolocation plan while allowing the app to work everywhere, not only Venice specifically. It will make testing easier.
On a more positive note, the engineer I am working with had some really good design ideas to make the app user-friendly, like having the logo and the explore button gradually fill up on the loading page.
He also came up with the idea that in the archive the anecdotes that have already been seen by the user should be discoloured to make it more obvious. Since he has this technical knowledge and knows what can be done, he has an eye for these details. This is why it is fruitful to work with people from all sorts of backgrounds and not to be scared to reach out to experts, they can really help.
For the festival I wanted to create something artistic and mature that accurately represented my project, knowing that we were encouraged to showcase the process and emotion found in our work. I’ve always been fascinated by maps and how they unnaturally define what belongs to whom and establish differences amongst people while paradoxically mirroring the body’s blood vessel system as if they were alive. In the past, I have created several collages with many different types of maps, which emphasised chaos, confusion and dream.
It is only while writing these words that I realise how much my captivation of maps has shaped my project, there is at one map in every single blog post and I have spent countless days walking around Venice trying to map it. Although they help us clarify the world, I believe them to be unidimensional, showing only what they want to show, controlling one’s experience from their sky view. It is super ironic for me to say that since I am still exercising control over users telling them what is worth noticing, even though there is a very humane sort of research behind this advice….
But it is precisely because maps do not show everything that one has to explore for themselves and interact with their surroundings, which is also what I am trying to promote. I think there is a strong duality in everything that we do and perfection is impossible to achieve even with the purest intentions.
Therefore, for the festival piece I wanted to reflect some of the chaos found in maps while conveying the different categories in the app, which highlight the culture and history that exist beyond the tourist routes. Designing different layers seems to be a good way to show different elements that can be looked at individually (interesting but chaotic) or as a whole (a map of Venice).
Thus, as part of the physical show, I would like to exhibit an installation comprising 3 parts:
A stylised version of the tourist routes printed on a white piece of paper
5 layers of transparent sheets (each with a different design) that will hang or be held in front of the map
A screen showing a demonstration of the app
I am thinking of having each layer (minus the piece of paper with the routes) display a piece of the city free of the tourist routes to symbolise how much more Venice has to offer. It is also a way to fragment the city to show that it is chaotic, complicated, and not so easily mapped. To enhance the feeling of discomfort, I would like the tourist routes to look like cancer plaguing the city, which is quite extreme but is how many locals, myself included, view the crowds. This image goes back to the idea that maps can have a strange organic feel to them, which can mirror implicit and explicit problems.
This is also why I wanted to work with black and white (plus see-through) as the contrast between these colours is really good for conveying emotion. Furthermore, since I am also thinking about adding elements of old Venetian maps to the layers, these colours reflect quite well the aesthetic of some old monochromatic prints.
Superposing elements of old maps, which also relate to the categories on the app, is a way to parallel the old and the new. It shows that Venice is still looking after its history but at the same time developing its future, finding new ways to channel tourism by making history and culture more accessible.
I have a pretty good idea of how everything is going to look like, but the real difficulty is how I am going to display this installation, which is detailed in the blog post.
To represent the church category on the installation’s layer, I thought to trace bell towers roof designs. The idea is to refer back to places of worship without being too obvious and cheesy, but creative and authentic. With an architecture software I was able to collect sky views of Venice bell towers. There is something beautiful about architectural shapes viewed from the sky. They can create forms and patterns, which we would not suspect just by seeing them from the ground. Their aesthetic interest encourages me to add them to the piece as I would like each layer to be intriguing as an individual, as each category has its own elements making it unique.
Then, to symbolise the historical fact category, I decided to add old-styled ships to the layer, as on vintage maps, Venice was mostly represented with countless ships, boats and gondolas in its lagoon. These elements are a staple of Venetian culture and reflect the information shared by the historical facts on the map. Indeed, ships highlight Venice’s supremacy over the sea, its mighty empire, its trading power, and its life and dynamism. It is a way to show how much there is behind the Venice we know today.
For the legend category, I wanted to add something mystical that can also be found in old maps. As sea monsters are sometimes represented in cartography, I thought that I could add one to my interpretation of Venice. I just had to decide what sort of creature. Remembering that one of the legends featuring on the app is about a mermaid, I decided to go with that. I like the idea of having a character from one of the stories I research to make an appearance on the installation as it ties everything together quite nicely. I just hope that having such elements won’t make the final product too cheesy or inharmonious as I am combining different styles.
With the help of a software engineer I was able to complete a first prototype. Alpha testing has already be done but beta testing (customer validation) has yet to be completed. An intervention is scheduled for the 29 of November week, where feedback about the product will be gathered.
I am currently in phase six of the SDLC (Systems development life cycle) model
Index:
Research, structure and early design
Stages of creation
Complete Prototype
Research, structure and early design
Research:
3/10/2021
Before starting the app design, I had to understand how similar apps are structured. I had a look at Lonely Planet, All trails, and Culture Trip. The one I thought aligned the most with my ideas was Lonely Planet so I proceeded to analyse the way it was constructed, making notes along the way.
Lonely Planet screenshots and notes:
Home page you choose your city
When you click on city you are sent to a map with (must see places, tickets and tours, curated tours)
There are 7 main features (All, see, eat, sleep, shop, drink, play), you can filter your responses according to them. The dots changes colour when you click one.
(Need to know feature) There is an overview of the city of Athens
(Need to know feature) You’ve got the neighbourhoods (good for Venice districts)
(Need to know feature) Transport
Dictionary
Budget/currency
You can vote for cities you would like to see on the guide
Early structure:
5/10/2021
This research helped me come up with an early app structure. After reviewing it with people in my surrounding and with the expert who has been helping me navigate creative softwares, I concluded that it could be improved on. I think i tried to cram too much information onto one page and overly complicated certain aspects.
Home page:
Logo
Button “Discover Venice”, which take you to the next page
Little “about” logo on one corner.
Archive:
Where read anecdotes are stored
Also where anecdotes are stored when the notifications where disabled
Notification:
When user gets a notification they are sent to Archive/collected info where the anecdote is unlocked.
Option to hear the audio version
Option to keep or delete the anecdote
Little camera button that lets you take a picture and share it on the app?
Features suggested by stakeholders:
Audio version
Adding a “disable notification” feature (so that users do not keep receiving the same anecdotes when retracing their steps)
clarify that the app is my personal take on Venice and not a universal one.
What happens to notifications that are read and unread
Find a way to limit the time users’ spend on the phone looking at the map
A recommended route option.
Adding urls
What should definitely be there:
Audio version
“disable notification” feature (so that users do not keep receiving the same anecdotes when retracing their steps)
A way to differentiate if the anecdote is a random history fact or linked to environment
Red and unread notifications stored in an archive when one can go read them again
A recommended route option?
A map
A feature where locals can submit new content or you can share your own photos
My latest intervention helped me answer a few questions that I had such as the design of the map and whether there should be a recommended route option.
Later structure:
10/10/2021
The later structure contains all the features of the previous but differently arranged for a better user experience and app development ease. I made mockups of what it could look like on adobe illustrator.
I changed the colour palette from navy blue/purple/white to one that reflects the colours of Venice, which I believe is a nice way to create a visual consistency between the app and the environment it focuses on.
Home screen:
Logo
Button “Discover Venice”, which take you to the next screen
Screen 2 (Map):
Map with all the stops
Icons at the bottom representing each category
User can choose which category they want on
Menu Icon on the top right corner
Menu Icon:
The menu appears above the map (or could be on a different page)
3 options to choose from (about, settings, archive)
About:
Settings:
Enable or disable notifications
Basic that maps usually ask
Archive:
Where read anecdotes are stored
Also where anecdotes are stored when the notifications were disabled
Notification page:
When user gets a notification they are sent to Archive/collected info where the anecdote is unlocked.
Option to hear the audio version
Option to keep or delete the anecdote
Little camera button that lets you take a picture and share it on the app?
I have shared this list of features and screenshots with the expert helping me develop the app (Jesse Sigalov) and had a meeting to discuss the developments (more about this here).
Stages of creation:
27/10/2021
The map:
The very first element that is being brought to life is the map of Venice as the app heavily relies on it. As shown earlier on the post I have a good idea of what I want it to look like (this was tested with stakeholders).
On the mockup I took a design from Snazzy maps, a website that lets people freely use map designs made by creatives, however, it was not possible to transfer the design onto Unity (the software being used to develop the app).
On Unity there is a default map but it was not quite the style I wanted.
Therefore, I was advised to use another website called Mapbox where I could recreate the map myself and it would be compatible to transfer it over to Unity.
Mapbox gives you a standard map, which you can modify as you wish.
I created a version that looked closer to the design that I originally wanted. I removed all signage (street names, hotels, landmarks etc) to have a very simple map, which will only showcase the geolocated stops. The idea is that users do not rely completely on the map and can walk towards the general direction of what is indicated on the map without being GPsed to it.
The following image shows the first two geolocated stops (the map style will not stay this way)
12/11/2021
The map has been further refined. We are at a stage where we are uploading all the anecdotes with their right icon and completing the home page.
Here again, I was able to get involved in the tech side as I used the MapBox site to add the coordinates and details of each location so that they could be exported to Unity (the software where the app is being created). The process of copying and pasting the coordinates is a little tedious but really spending up the process for the engineer.
There were certain coordinates, which would not appear on the map, but the engineer managed to fix the problem.
We now also have a vision of the final design of the map with the icons representing each category (church, museum, artisan, legend, historical fact), which I had designed.
Audio:
2/11/2021
As I wanted to have an audio version as well as the written text, I contacted a friend from the course I had had the pleasure to work with before. He had lent his voice to one of our projects and I hope he could do so again with this one. He agreed and very efficiently recorded all the texts. Here is an example, it tells the story of the red stone.
I edited the recordings on my computer to improve the quality and deleted any unnecessary gaps or noises.
I chose this particular actor because his voice has a very audio book quality to it. He managed to make my amateurish writing sound more professional. His background in theatre really helped. Rightly so, my tutor questioned whether it would not be more authentic to have a local’s voice being featured on the app. Although it would be lovely and very in sync with the project, there are various reasons why I chose not to take that route. The locals are usually not very well versed in English and the rare who are do not speak with the clarity that is needed in such a recording. Indeed, when one is conveying information, the diction needs to be very clear especially since it must be assumed that some of the people who will be listening to the recordings will have English as there first language.
Maybe in the future it would be wonderful to have locals record their own suggestions for users although a solution would have to be found for the language barrier.
What went well:
The voice actor was very efficient and it only took us a few hours to get everything I needed
There were no technical difficulties
What could have been done better:
The quality of the sound is not perfect as it was not recorded with professional equipment
Other features:
18/11/2021
More features are being added to the app as it starts to come together. The anecdotes are being added and I am happy to see that it all looks very similar to what I had designed.
Anecdotes:
Below are two anecdote templates with and without and extra image (there are a few anecdotes where I have added visual support for bettie understanding).
Loading page:
The loading page is a feature that I particularly like. While it is loading the orange gradually fills up the logo and the explore button, which I find particularly aesthetically pleasing.
It is very reassuring to start having something concrete and it seems we will be able to finish what we had planned before the deadlines, which reduces my stress levels.
Need a screen shot of what it looks like on the phone (app icon)
18/11/2021
This is the final version of the anecdotes that have images. On the third one the audio was added, now they all have audio option.
The bottom bar on the app page with the 5 categories of Venice experiences was added. The user can choose which categories they want to appear, according to their particular interests.
22/11/2021
Here, is the first version of the archive (where the anecdotes are stored). In the squares should be added pictures that relate to each anecdote.
This is the complete version of the archive, with all the pictures uploaded (story my screenshots are blurry, the real thing is of better quality).
The engineer suggested that the seen anecdotes could in black and white to clarify that they have already been read. They can still be re-listened.
25/11/2021
It has come to a point where I realised that installing the geolocating feature to this prototype would take longer and would need further on-site testing (in Venice). Therefore, for the sake of this “first attempt”, we came up with an alternative. In addition to being able to move a virtual character with a joystick (the character hovers over the an icon and the anecdote appears).
I think this is a good compromise for now as it mimics the initial geolocation plan while allowing the app to work everywhere, not only Venice specifically. It will make testing easier.
Complete Prototype:
25/11/2021
Here are some screen recordings of the final product:
On this post a document the interventions that will be taking place until the end of the course.
Index:
Recommended tour and map design
Testing the first prototype of the app
Recommended tour and map design
(28/09/2021)
Here, I kind of merged two interventions into one for more practicality. There were two main things I wanted to get stakeholders’ feedback on:
The first one was whether there should be an option to choose a “recommended route”, which is an idea that had been mentioned a couple of times during my summer interventions. Going back to having a controlled tour does not particularly excite me as earlier in the project I moved away from this type of structure to a more free and explorative vision of the tourist experience. Nonetheless, I must consider what my stakeholders gravitate towards.
The second thing I wanted to explore was related to app design. As I have just started the process of designing the app, I wanted to ask my stakeholders what sort of colour palette and style they would prefer for the map that will be featured, as it is one of the main elements.
As I have created images on adobe illustrator, this intervention is also an opportunity to experiment with designs and, therefore, get a better idea of what the final product may end up looking like.
The intervention
This intervention is quite simple, I have created a few images, which I attached to a survey to collect answers.
Recommended tour images:
The screenshot above is the first thing that participants see when they start the survey. It asks them to imagine that they are in Venice and that they are using this app to get the most out of the city. It also quickly explains how the app works and that on the next image they will have two options to choose from.
Once they see this image they need to choose between (explore Venice Freely) or (Try the recommended Tour). The idea is to see which option gets interacted with the most.
Map design images:
Next, I ask the participants to select their preferred colour palette and then map aesthetic.
Results:
Through this survey, I found out that 82% of participants would have picked the “Explore Venice freely” button. This is a relief for me as the core concept of the app (non-linear exploration) seems to appeal to people.
When it came to the map design 82% of participants preferred the light blue tones. The top rated map was number 4, which is also the one I found to be the most appropriate, plus the colour reminds me of the Venice lagoon.
What I have learned:
It gave me an idea of how the home page of the app may look like in the future. I am starting to come up with a basic structure and design, which is helping me materialise my ideas. I was also able to see that the concept of explorative tourist experience is appealing to my stakeholders.
Furthermore, I now know what style of map to use in the future.
I was also pointed out by my tutor that the design may have suggested to the participants to choose the option that I wanted, especially with (explore Venice freely or try the recommended route). I wished more people to opt for “explore Venice freely” as it embodies the free exploration experience that I am trying to promote. The other option reminded me too much of the controlled itineraries that I was trying to avoid. Therefore, on the design “Explore Venice freely” came first, which may have influenced the participants.
What I could have done better:
I could have tested more elements of my design such as different versions of the logo or the overall colour palette.
In the future I will try to be more scientific and not try to manipulate the participants’ answer.
Testing the first prototype of the app:
(2/12/2021-4/12/2021)
I tested the prototype with some stakeholders. Unfortunately, it does not yet allow to use geolocation, although it is possible, it would take longer to apply. So, for this first attempt, we came up with an alternative, which simulates the original model. We can move a character on the screen with a virtual joystick (the character hovers over an icon and the anecdote appears).
(You can watch some screen grab videos of the app in App design)
To gather results, I went for a qualitative approach and asked the participants for feedback conversationally following a few basic questions:
How would you rate the overall design of the app?
How would you rate de user friendliness of the app?
Would you use it if you were to go to Venice?
Additional comments
What went well:
They liked most aspects of the design, like the colour scheme, the minimalistic style, the language used in the texts, and the audio version, which was thought very immersive.
Some have also expressed that they really enjoy the self-navigation aspect that the app promotes and feel that there is enough on the map to know that wherever they go there will be something interesting to learn.
What can be improved:
I was pointed out that it would be better if the audio voice did not automatically start, so that the user can choose whether to read or listen. I completely agree with that, I actually had not noticed this aspect of the app.
The digital designer who reviewed it noticed practical details like some buttons being slightly off the screen or that the joystick was a little confusing at the beginning, as it is more intuitive to directly touch the screen in order to navigate.
They unanimously did not love the stickman walking around. I understand, it does look a little creepy and threatening when it walks. It could easily be replaced by some sort of dot or icon.
I found that it was very difficult to make something user friendly for older demographics. For instance, people from a younger age group were not phased at all by the loading page, but the more mature participants did not necessarily understand that they had to press on the explore button.
Additional thoughts:
One of the stakeholders proposed an extra feature. She noted that as the historical facts show that was connected to the world, it would be nice to design a feature that somehow links the origin of the user with the app. Maybe that one can use a filter to get anecdotes that are related to where the user comes from. However, although I understand the appeal, I do not want to limit people’s experience. I would like to preserve a sense of randomness that instigates exploration and teaches about many different things, not only the one we choose.
When I asked whether the participants would be interested in using this app, I got an answer that touched on something I had not considered before, which was advertisement. How would I grab my stakeholders’ attention? It is something interesting to think about in the future. Perhaps spreading posters and QR codes around the city and starting a social media account.
Angeloni, S. (2013) ‘Cultural Tourism and Well-Being of the Local Population in Italy’, Theoretical and Empirical Researches in Urban Management, Vol. 8, No. 3, pp. 17-31.
Goffen, R. (1990) Giovanni Bellini. Milan: Federico Motta Editore. Second edition.
González De Lara, Y. (2008) ‘The secret of Venetian success: a public-order, reputation-based institution’, European Review of Economic History, Vol. 12, No. 3, pp. 247-285.
Goodwin, H. (2015) ‘Tourism, Good Intentions, and the Road to Hell: Ecotourism and Volunteering’, The Brown Journal of World Affairs, Vol. 22, No. 1, pp. 37-50.
Howard, D. (1989) ‘The Church of the Miracoli in Venice and Pittoni’s St Jerome Altar-Piece’, The Burlington Magazine, Vol. 131, No. 1039, pp. 684-692.
Humfrey, P. (1988) ‘Competitive Devotions: The Venetian Scuole Piccole as Donors of Altarpieces in the in the Years around 1500’, The Art Bulletin, Vol. 70, No. 3 , pp. 401-423 .
Perry, M. (1977), ‘Saint Mark’s Trophies: Legend, Superposition, and Archaeology in Renaissance Venice’, Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, Vol. 40, pp. 27-49.
Rearick, W. R. (1958-1959) ‘Battista Franco and the Grimani Family”, Saggi e Memorie di storia dell’arte, Vol. 2, pp. 105-139.
Remoaldo, P. Ribeiro, J. Vareiro, L. Santos, J. (2014) ‘Tourists’ perceptions of world heritage destinations: The case of Guimarães (Portugal)’, Tourism and Hospitality Research, Vol. 14, No. 4, pp. 206-218.
Samuels Welch, E. (1990) ‘The Court of Bartolomeo Colleoni: New Documents’, Arte Lombarda, No. 92/93 (1-2), pp. 105-106.
Settis, S. (2016) If Venice Dies. New York: New Vessel Press.
Steer, S. (2006) ‘Tota pulchra, et formosa es Maria et macula originalis non est in te: The Congregation of Clergy at Santa Maria Formosa, Venice, and Their Altar of the Immaculate Conception’, Artibus et Historiae, pp. 111-123.
Stermole, K. (2014) ‘Politics, Monuments, and Venice’s Reclamation of Padua during the Cambrai War’, The Sixteenth Century Journal, Vol. 45, No. 2, pp. 351-382.
Tassini, G. (1863) Curiosità Veneziane. Venice: Filippi Editore Venezia.
TEDx Talks (2018) The Power of Gamification in Education | Scott Hebert | TEDxUAlberta. May 7 2018. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOssYTimQwM (Accessed: May 15 2021)
Toso Fei, A. (2002) Venetian Legends and Ghost Stories: A Guide to Places of Mystery in Venice. Venice: Neroargento.
Vircondelet, A. (2008) Venise un art de Vivre. Paris: Flammarion.
Wiltshier, P and Clarke, A. (2017) ‘Virtual cultural tourism: Six pillars of VCT using co-creation, value exchange and exchange value’, Tourism and Hospitality Research, Vol. 17, No. 4, pp. 372-383.
Zorzi, A. (1999) Venice 697-1797 A City, A Republic, An Empire. New York: The Overlook Press Peter Mayer Publisher, INC.
Here, I compile all the history anecdotes that appear on my map. These are the sort of things that the tourists will read when they receive a notification. The anecdotes are organised in 3 main categories: the anecdotes that refer to specific elements of Venice’s topography ex a church, the ones that are about random facts about the city’s history, and finally nudges to visit certain artisan shops.
(This is the first iteration of the anecdotes, thanks to my interventions I was able to improve them)
Index:
Topography anecdotes
Random history facts about the city
Artisans
Works cited
Topography anecdotes:
Churches
Santa Maria dei Miracoli
This beautiful marble Church was built between 1481-89 as a home to a miracle-working image of the Virgin.
Praised for its use of costly and rare marbles, it is a noble example of the Venetian early renaissance style.
There was a Franciscan order of nuns living in the building opposite the right flank of the church. As a they were to live a cloistered life, they entered the church via a raised passageway over the street. The structure was removed following the dissolution of the convent in the early 18th century.
Bernasconi, G. (1840) S. Maria dei Miracoli [Engraving]. Published in il Fiore di Venezia, Vol. III, Venice.
(Howard, 1989, pp 684-687)
Basiclica Santi Giovanni e Paolo
This 14th century gothic Basilica is also called San Zanipoli in Venetian dialect. It is the biggest church of the city and is the resting place of multiple doge and important figures from the from the XIII to the XVIII century.
The story of its creation is rather poetic. in 1234 Doge Jacopo Tiepolo dreamed of a marshy area full of beautiful flowers, flying doves and crowds of singing angels. In his vision he clearly heard the words “This is the venue I chose for my Preachers”.
The next day he convinced the Senate to donate to the Dominicans the place he had dreamed about, which is now the campo dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo. The basilica was erected and dedicated to those two Romanian martyrs of the V century.
Inside you will find grand monumental Sepulchres, at least 25 are dedicated to doges.
The great Venetian painters Giovanni and Gentile Bellini are resting there. Speaking of Bellinis, you will find Giovanni’s polyptych of Saint Vincenzo Ferrer, a beautifully executed painting.
(Stermole, 2014, pp351-364) (Basilica Santi Giovanni e Paolo)
San Francesco della Vigna
The church and convent were founded in 1254. The structure was originally gothic in style but was replaced in 1534 with the Renaissance church that you see today. Its façade was designed by famous architect Andrea Palladio.
Legend has it that the church was built where Saint Mark had stopped to rest after leaving Aquileia. An angel came to the saint and announced that to honour him a powerful city would be founded in this lagoon. The original Church was built to commemorate this event.
Inside, along with the handsomely decorated chapels, you will be presented with frescoes by Tiepolo and with a painting by Giovanni Bellini, Virgin and Child and Saints, 1507.
This church was originally built in the 9th century but its current appearance dates back to the end of the 16thcentury. Its bare and unfinished façade give a certain industrial character, while the inside is a rich display of Baroque architecture.
Legend has it that the famous explorer Marco Polo was buried here. Inside, one can observe a unique double-sided altar, creating two separate naves. One side to host the public, the other accommodate the Benedictine monks from the nearby monastery.
The church was greatly damaged during the Napoleonic War. It was deconsecrated in 1810 and emptied except for the main altar. In 1865 it closed to the public but in the early 20th century archaeologists organised a series of excavations to find Marco Polo’s grave.
(Ocean Spance)
Santa Maria Formosa:
The origins of this church is located between history and fable as its creation predates any written records by 421 years. Indeed, it was erected by Saint Magnus in 639 following a vision of the Virgin who to him where the church should be built.
It was renovated various times throughout the years: in 864, 1106 following a fire and in 1492 as it was heavily decayed, which is where it was rebuilt in a Renaissance style.
This church contains the vail of Saint Marina who was from Egypt and lived in the 5th or the 7th century. Since there were no female monastic orders she dressed as a man to pursue a spiritual life. The relic seems to have made it to Venice from Constantinople in 1213.
You will also be able to admire Bartolomeo Vivarini’s (Madonna della Misericordia triptych). Completed in 1475.
(Steer: 2006) (Santa Maria Formosa)
*
Museums
Palazzo Grimani
This Renaissance style palace was dramatically modified in the 16th century to resemble a Roman home.
Indeed, the Patriarch Giovanni Grimani was an avid collector of ancient artifacts. The family owned a residence where numerous ancient sculptures from the ruins thermal baths were excavated during its construction.
An entire wing was designed to display Giovanni’s impressive collection. The rooms end with the most significant location of the palace, the Tribuna. It is believed to have been created to exhibit the most valuable statues of the collection.
Its unique structure creates an incomparable atmosphere bathed antiquity and light.
(Ferrara, 2021, pp25-48)
Fondazione Querini Stampalia
Mensions of the Querini family being established here at Santa Maria Formosa date back to the 13th century. While some parts of the palace are dedicated to conveying a fastuous and refined Venetian home, the ground floor was restored by the famous 20th century architect Carlo Scarpa from 1959 to 1963.
The element water is central to his architectural design as it flows inside the palace from the gated entrance to the canal and is present in the garden thanks to an elegant basin structure. This artistic choice no doubt alludes to Venice’s fusional relationship with water.
While admiring the marks of Venetian culture, you can also delve into the contemporary exhibitions that frequently take place in the museum.
(Fondazione Querini Stampalia)
The Scuola Grande di San Marco
The Scuola Grande di San Marco was founded in 1260 as the Scuola dei Battuti, where members met in a modest room. Throughout the years it grew in wealth and influence, so much so that in 1437 it was renamed after the patron saint of the city, Saint Mark.
In 1485 a fire started destroyed the scuola and all its embellishments. An altar candle had set a curtain on fire and the flames burned all night long. Artists Gentile and Giovanni Bellini were hired to collaborate on the sculptural adornment of the façade, while Pietro Lombardo was the architect.
If you go in, you will be met with a large vestibule flanked by grand Corinthian columns decorated with graceful tiles.
This Hall was considered as one of the most remarkable achievements of the Venetian Renaissance. Indeed, it attracted visitors such as European experts and scholars whom came to admire the works of Gentile and Giovanni Bellini, Giovanni Mansueti, Paris Bordone, and Jacopo Palma il Vecchio.
The scuola was turned into a military hospital by the Austrians in the 19th century and today it hosts the city hospital.
(Scuola Grande Di San Marco)
Scuole Grandi of Venice:
The Scuole Grandi were religious confraternities for the laity. They appeared as early as the 13th century and undertook charitable actions. They were greatly influential and had a significant role in the development of music, art and history.
(Scuola Grande Di San Marco)
Equestrian Monument to Bartolomeo Colleoni (Not a museum, a monument):
Search for the man on the horse. If you have, you will notice that It is a Renaissance-style equestrian monument sculpture made out of bronze (formerly gilded) where the statue sits on a marble and Istrian pedestal. It celebrates the warlord from Bergamo Bartolomeo Colleoni who died in 1475. He left his inheritance to the city of Venice in exchange for a monument in Saint Marc’s Square. However, it was decided by the Senate to place the equestrian statue where you see it now. It was completed in 1496 by Alessandro Leopardi after Andrea Verrochia had initiated the sculpture before his death in 1481.
Colleoni was a mighty warrior who proved times and times again that he did not fear death. His quarrels with the Duke of Milan Galeazzo Maria Sforza lead to the latter challenging him to a direct battle, which had to be prevented by the Pope himself. In his old age, he even conveyed through letters that he would rather die on a horse than be poisoned by his enemy Sforza’s spies.
Here used to live a fisherman named Orio. One day, he rescued a beautiful mermaid called Melusina and they both fell passionately in love with each other. He soon proposed to her and she accepted on condition that they never meet on the Saturdays preceding the wedding.
Orio fails to respect her wishes and on the third Saturday went to their usual meeting place. No one but a giant snake was waiting for him there. The poor monster turned out to be the mermaid struck by a curse. She was bound to transform into a snake every Saturday until she was wed.
Fortunately, Orio’s love for her was stronger than the curse and they become husband and wife. They had three children and lived happily until Melusina died of an incurable disease.
The fisherman was devasted but nonetheless continued to support his family. He soon started noticing that the house was always in order and spotless clean when he came home from his long days out at sea. One day he came home earlier to investigate and found a snake. Worried for the safety of his children he instinctively killed the animal. As the house became more and more messy, he realised that he had killed his beloved Melusina.
The red brick heart placed in the underpass commemorates the tragic but never ending love story between the fisherman and the mermaid.
It is whispered that couples who touch the heart brick together will be granted eternal love.
(Fei, 2002)
Door carvings: The beggar who carved the story of the Levantine (Scuola Grande di San Marco)
The perspective games that you can see on the façade of the Scuola di San Marco (The renaissance style building with polished yellow marble, arches and niches) were created Cesco Pizzigani who was a very talented Venetian stonemason.
Tragically, in the early 1500s Cesco’s wife became ill and he was forced to sell his workshop in order to pay for her care. She died and he lost everything.
He was left a beggar outside the school he had helped to build.
To pass the time, the stonemason with an old nail practiced his old craft on the sides of the doorway. He carved the shapes of the ships that he could observe not far away.
He never thought that he would one day witness a haunting scene.
A young man (the Levant referred to a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Western Asia) suffered from being half Venetian and half levantine as he was not always accepted by either communities. Blaming his mother for his torment, he regularly beat her.
One night, his rage took over his body forcing him to stab his mother violently and rip out her hear from her chest.
Horrified of what he had done he fled with the heart in his hands. On the bridge in front of San Marco school he stumbled, fell and lost his mother’s heart.
He heard a voice: “My son, are you hurt?”.
Tortured by terror and guilt the levantine threw himself into the waves in front of the nearby cemetery of San Michele. We can still hear his cries while he keeps on searching for his mother’s heart.
Cesco the Stonemason, was witness to the entire scene, he carved the levantine among the profiles of the ships and made his tragic story eternal.
(Fei, 2002)
The Red Stone into which evil has sunk (Sotoportego della Corte Nova):
On the floor of this intricately decorated underpass lays an unusual red stone. It is believed that in 1630 a woman named Giovanna who lived in this district had a vision of the Madonna. She told her that to avoid the plague a painting representing her image together with Saints Rocco, Sebastian, and Justina must be produced. Once painted, it was to be exhibited in this underpass. Miraculously, the Castello district was spared by the black death, which soon disappeared along with the Madonna’s painting. However, a red stone appeared on the pavement, which is thought to have absorbed the plague.
Some Venetians avoid stepping on the stone because it is considered a bearer of misfortune but others think it as a bringer of money and love.
(Fei, 2002)
*
City elements
A)
The equivalent of a square here in Venice is a Campo, which is the word for field in Italian. Thus, campis were named this way because they used to be covered in grass and not pavement.
Corti and Campielli are smaller than Campi.
B)
When you see that there is a “Rio terrà” sign it means that road was originally a canal.
C)
When you see that there is a “Ramo” sign it refers to the little angle of a way that allows two roads to communicate.
D)
When you see that there is a “Piscine” sign it refers to the little lakes with stagnating rain water that were spread across the city. They were later buried.
E)
The Sottopertego is a covered passage for public use to pass under private houses. They are everywhere in Venice.
(Tassini, 1863, pp22)
Random history facts about the city:
Party tradition:
Venice has always had a very strong party tradition, especially in the 18th century during the Republic’s decline. The extravagant parties were widely described by travellers, poets and artists. During its decline, having excessive parties was a way to trick Venetians into an illusion of glory and later to attract the first tourists.
(Vircondelet, 2008, pp11)
Carnival 1:
The Carnival is mentioned in documents as far as the 10th century under the reign of doge Vital Florier. It is probably their contact with the orient that gave the Venetians this taste for fastuous parties.
It lasted 6 months! It was a combination of a pagan feast and the religious cult. Venetians could enjoy theatre performances, games, street shows and private performances.
In parallel a counter carnival was happening. Religion organised procession and acts of penitence to incite Venetians to repent instead of indulging in debauchery. However, their attempts were not greatly successful.
(Vircondelet, 2008, pp17)
Carnival 2:
Throughout the carnival, masks were extremely important as during the festivities people from any social class became equals and partied together. It promoted social equality and transgression as people did not have to worry about their reputation and, thus, act more freely. The most popular disguise (which allowed for the most anonymity), was constituted of the lavara (a white mask), a black hat and, finally, a tabarro (a traditional black cape). The rest of the face was covered by a black silk vail.
(Vircondelet, 2008, pp18)
18th century occupations:
In Venice there were shops and people with occupations, much like today. In 1747 Santi Giovanni e Paolo you had tailors, spice shops, a fruit merchant, a chicken seller, blacksmiths, a mirror maker, and even Music teacher called Girolamo Bassani.
The Beginning of Venice:
The first conquerors of the territory were the Venetes, which originated from the black sea and, which gave their name to the region.
Then came the Romans followed by the Byzantines, which heavily influenced the Venetians. After freeing themselves from Constantinople, The Venetians put in place the Republique of the Serenissima.
(Bertolazzi, 2006, pp22)
Strategically located:
Venice was founded in the 5th century and it became a maritime power in the 9th century. Its position was highly strategic as it was within reach of the Byzantine Empire and traders from the Near East.
(UNESCO)
Most Stable Republic in History:
Venice was the most stable Republic in history as it survived 1100 (Mille cent) years.
(Bertolazzi, 2006, pp28)
Commerce and Industry:
Until the 18th century, Venetian industry primarily focused on the manufacturing of salt, glass, wool, and the sale of timber and iron ore, which came from the mines of Styria and Carinthia. These merchandises were traded to the Byzantine Empire and to the Muslim Orient for luxury goods.
Spices were one of these important commodities as there was a very high demand in Europe for them. Not only they improved the taste of food, but they also used as ingredients to create the modern day equivalent of alcoholic beverages.
(Zorzi, 1999, pp190)
Goods from Egypt, Asia Minor and the Far East:
Goods that the Republic brought back fromEgypt, Asia Minor and Far East:
Gems
Mineral dyes
Peacock feathers
Spices
Textiles (silks, cottons, brocades)
(UNESCO)
Slavery:
Slave trade was common in Venice during the Middle ages and in the 16th century. Slaves mainly came from Russia and Turkey and sold in Venice to the Muslims and sometimes also to Venetians that would use them as domestic workers and farmhands.
(Zorzi, 1999, pp190)
Gentile Bellini Anecdote:
The foreign market was so fascinated by Venetian art that Sultan Mehmed II, a frightful conqueror, invited the famous artist Gentile Bellini to visit his court. He proceeded to present poor Bellini with a man’s severed head in order to show him exactly how he wanted him to portray the decapitation of John the Baptist. the terrified artist accepted his farewell gift of a chain and bid them goodbye.
(Zorzi, 1999, pp198)
Interesting facts about language:
Did you know that half of the spoken vocabulary in Greece is pure Venetian? Indeed, Venice occupied parts of Greece for centuries. It controlled many of the Aegan islands, including Crete, parts of Euboea and had trading settlements and lookout points on the Greek mainland.
(Zorzi, 1999, pp201)
Power in Trade:
After having been occupied by the Byzantine empire Venice became an autonomous political unit in the 8thcentury.
(González De Lara, 2008, pp251-252)
The Doge:
The Doge, who was the head of Venice, used to behave like a dictator but in 1032 his role shifted and became more of a magistrate who was elected and appointed to the position for life.
(González De Lara, 2008, pp251-252)
Venice’s marriage to the sea:
Venice has always had a fusional relationship with the sea. The Doge’s marriage to the sea perfectly symbolises this bond. The ceremony (‘Sposalizio del Mare’ in Venetian) was established in the early Middle Ages. The Doge was to sail out into the Adriatic sea, followed by a procession of boats and pray. In the 12thcentury the rite evolved and the Doge started throwing a ring into the water to represent Venice’s marriage to the sea.
(UNESCO)
Architecture of the house:
In Venice, you will notice that architecture greatly focuses on outward appearance. Fine looks were so important that grand facades facing the canal highly contrast with the more ordinary sides of the buildings. Indeed, the most important door of a building is the one that opens to the canal as it is where the grandeur is meant to be seen.
The Venetians strongly followed the Renaissance belief that outward beauty is a sign of inward virtue.
(Muir, 1979, pp18)
The Early Venetian home:
Known as casa-fondaco, the early palaces served as both the workplace (warehouse) and the home of the merchant nobility.
Usually, the ground floor was structured like a gallery, which opened to a main entrance hall, used for unloading and loading merchandise. Smaller rooms, used for storage, flanked the gallery.
An external staircase would take you to the first floor/the piano-nobile (noble floor). This floor also displayed a main hall, which was originally used as a display are for goods but it later became a way for the family to display their wealth with rich decoration and to entertain guests. The side wings were used for administrative purposes. The next floors were reserved for family and servant lodging.
(Muir, 1979)
Venice number of islands, canals, bridges:
Venice is made of 118 islands, has 150 canals, and 436 bridges. Impressive, right?
Sestieri:
Venice is divided in 6 zones called Sestieri. They include:
Cannaregio
Castello
San Marco
Dorsoduro
San Polo
Santa Croce
Here you are in Castello, which was named that way because allegedly there used to be a castle located on the extreme tip of it. It is the Only district that does not face the Grand Canal.
Bridges:
The bridges used to be made out of wood, they were later replaced by stone and arched bridges.
Scuole:
Corporations with a religious background, on which the state had direct interference. They had a humanitarian purpose and were patrons of the arts. (see in my dissertation notes reseach saint Marks)
(Tassini, 1863, pp 15-22)
Artisans:
Schegge Art & Craft
Annalisa Angela Victor (family business)
You are close to Schegge Art & Craft! This a family owned business since (date) makes incredibly intricate handmade masks. Make sure to check it out!
You are close to Papier Machè! If you walk in, you can see three dedicated artisans painting masks. They also offer a wide range of other products such as ceramics, papier maché objects, painted wooden panels and figurines. Make sure to check them out!
You are close to Scriba! Their artisanal hand painted paper products (notebooks, pens, frames etc) have a very high quality in materials and manual work precision. Make sure to check them out!
Humi Lab
You are close to Humi Lab! There you can find unique design objects including Venetian traditional fabric prints, jewellery, various wooden objects and glass. Make sure to check them out!
González De Lara, Y. (2008) ‘The secret of Venetian success: a public-order, reputation-based institution’, European Review of Economic History, Vol. 12, No. 3, pp. 247-285.
Howard, D. (1989) ‘The Church of the Miracoli in Venice and Pittoni’s St Jerome Altar-Piece’, The Burlington Magazine, Vol. 131, No. 1039, pp. 684-692.
Muir, E. (1979), ‘Images of Power: Art and Pageantry in Renaissance Venice’, The American Historical Review, Vol. 84, No. 1, pp. 16-52.
Steer, S. (2006) ‘Tota pulchra, et formosa es Maria et macula originalis non est in te: The Congregation of Clergy at Santa Maria Formosa, Venice, and Their Altar of the Immaculate Conception’, Artibus et Historiae, pp. 111-123.
Stermole, K. (2014) ‘Politics, Monuments, and Venice’s Reclamation of Padua during the Cambrai War’, The Sixteenth Century Journal, Vol. 45, No. 2, pp. 351-382.
Tassini, G. (1863) Curiosità Veneziane. Venice: Filippi Editore Venezia.
Toso Fei, A. (2002) Venetian Legends and Ghost Stories: A Guide to Places of Mystery in Venice. Venice: Neroargento.
In this post I document the surveys I have created to investigate my stakeholders’ opinions on various subjects related to my project.
Index:
If you have not yet visited Venice
For those who have visited Venice
Tourism in Venice (for Venetians)
First Intervention Feedback (for Venetians)
First Intervention Feedback (for tourists)
Travel experience (evolution of the project)
Intervention feedback advertisement video
If you have not yet visited Venice (07/04/2021)
This survey was aimed to see the perceptions that people who have never been to Venice may have of the city. It also enquires what sort of behaviours they would have if they were to visit it.
It gave an idea of what people are interested in and how I can shape my project around those interests.
My questions:
What would you expect from the city?
Do you have any negative preconceptions of the city?
Do you think Venice is more a: real city, tourist attraction, both?
Would you buy an affordable object from one of the numerous souvenir shops of the city?
Would you want to be guided in your discovery of the city by: (tour guide, an app, a printed copy, other, no guidance).
Would you want to discover hidden corners that tourists tend to walk past?
How long would you stay approximately?
Would you like to visit the city through interactive experiences?
Would you want to speak with some locals?
Some response examples:
Do you think Venice is more a: real city, tourist attraction, both?
Would you like to visit the city through interactive experiences?
Would you buy an affordable object from one of the numerous souvenir shops of the city?
For those who have visited Venice (07/04/2021)
This survey enquires on people’s previous Venice experiences. I wanted to see how they behaved to form a more accurate tourist profile in my mind.
My questions:
Did you enjoy your Venice experience?
Did you find the streets were too crowded?
Do you think you had an authentic experience of the city?
Did you try to stray from the tourist routes?
Did Venice seem to you like a real city or a tourist attraction?
Did you buy objects in one of the numerous souvenir shops?
Did you buy any artisanal artefacts or small boutique items?
Did you actively seek out cultural institutions to visit, if yes, did you find them too expensive?
Did you receive some kind of guidance during your stay? (tour guide, an app, a printed copy, other, no guidance).
How long was your stay?
Some response examples:
Did you receive some kind of guidance during your stay? (tour guide, an app, a printed copy, other, no guidance.
Did you buy any artisanal artefacts or small boutique items?
Tourism in Venice (for Venetians) (22/04/2021)
Here, I wanted to get locals’ opinions on tourism and on some ways it could be improved and controlled.
My questions:
Do think that the disadvantages of mass tourism surpass its benefits?
Do you think that Venetian culture is threatened by mass tourism?
Do you think that a more regulated, qualitative type of tourism could be enough to sustain the city?
Do you think that tourists visiting less mainstream parts of the city could help unclog popular trails and make certain parts of the city more breathable?
Would you feel uncomfortable if tourists started exploring more quiet areas of the city?
Do you think enough tourists engage with cultural institutions such as museums and galleries?
Do you think it would be beneficial if (day tourists) engaged more with the city’s cultural institutions?
Do you think enough tourists spend money in artisanal shops and small boutiques?
Some response examples:
Do think that the disadvantages of mass tourism surpass its benefits?
Do you think that a more regulated, qualitative type of tourism could be enough to sustain the city?
Do you think enough tourists engage with cultural institutions such as museums and galleries?
First intervention Feedback (for Venetians)(27/05/2021)
This is some of the feedback I have collected from some Venetian stakeholders regarding my first intervention, which is documented in detail here.
My questions:
Did the message of this project was clearly conveyed through this website?
Do you like the idea that some tourists would explore less mainstream/more private areas of the city?
Do you think this could be a way of having a positive impact on the issue of unprofitable mass tourism?
Did you find the story of the ghost engaging?
Do you agree that tourists should get a more authentic experience of Venice?
If yes, do you think that getting Venetians involved in the game could improve local-tourist relations?
Which form should this tour take?
Do you think that using technology would take away from the overall experience?
Additional feedback
Some response examples:
Do you think this could be a way of having a positive impact on the issue of unprofitable mass tourism?
Do you agree that tourists should get a more authentic experience of Venice?
If yes, do you think that getting Venetians involved in the game could improve local-tourist relations?
Additional written feedback examples:
“A big issue is making people that would otherwise be classified as mass tourists be interested in this other activity rather than taking selfies on bridges”
“The use of technology today is targeting and restricting the audience.”
Intervention Feedback (for tourists) (11/06/2021)
This is some of the feedback I have collected from tourist stakeholders regarding my first intervention.
My questions:
Was the message of this project clearly conveyed through this website?
Are you familiar with a similar game-based tour experience?
Do you think that the issue that the project is trying to tackle is an important one?
Would you want to try this gamified tour if you were to visit Venice?
Did you find the story of the ghost engaging?
Would you miss not getting to see the more mainstream landmarks in Venice, such as Saint Mark’s Square?
Is paying the entrance to a museum and a church in order to play the game problematic?
Which should be the vessel for this tour?
Do you think that using technology would take away from the overall experience?
Any additional feedback?
Some response examples:
Did you find the story of the ghost engaging?
Do you think that the issue that the project is trying to tackle is an important one?
Would you miss not getting to see the more mainstream landmarks in Venice, such as Saint Mark’s Square?
Additional written feedback examples:
“The story was interesting, but I would like to have a little bit more to tell me why the places listed on the tour are important for the story. I’d like to be excited to go there, not just because they’re beautiful but also because I want to hear more of the story, I want to feel like a detective! How are Knights related to the story? Are we the knights? Are there ghostly knights in the story? I think it would also help me feel more connected with the city if the story was in some way related to the history of the place.”
“App can be fun and interactive but I also like getting lost in cities without someone telling me what to do or where to go… “
“With regards to the technology, it feels like an app would be best for the project but I feel a printed flyer would also help. I would feel a bit uncomfortable about walking around with my phone out for fear of having it stolen.”
Travel experience(08/07/2021)
Since my project is evolving and becoming more focused I created this survey to gather stakeholders’s opinions on these slightly different concepts that I am moving towards.
I found that more or less half of the participants preferred a planned tourist experience while the other half gravitated towards a more carefree/adventurous experience. It is that 50% that my project will mostly appeal to.
Moreover, most participants agreed that they did not learn enough about host locations, which makes them appreciate the idea of getting unsolicited history facts while exploring, and being pointed out more authentic experiences such as artisans shops. These opinions go the direction of my project, which is encouraging.
My questions:
Do you sometimes feel unsure about what to do when you travel (which landmarks, museums etc you should see)?
When travelling do you enjoy setting out without a plan and hope to stumble upon things of interest?
When you travel do you sometimes feel like you do not learn enough about the history and culture of the visited location?
Would you like to have a way of getting history facts about specific zones near you while visiting a travel location?
Would you like to be pointed out authentic experiences such as artisan shops or museums near you without having to actively seek them out when you travel?
Some response examples:
When travelling do you enjoy setting out without a plan and hope to stumble upon things of interest?
When you travel do you sometimes feel like you do not learn enough about the history and culture of the visited location?
Would you like to have a way of getting history facts about specific zones near you while visiting a travel location?
Intervention feedback advertisement video (18/08/2021)
This is the feedback I have collected on the subject of my intervention (advertisement video for the app, which can be read about in detail here).
I was glad to see that the participants mostly understood what the video was advertising. When I asked them to write what they believed the app aims to offer, many of them came up with very accurate decisions. Most participants agreed that the selling point of the app was clear, that it would enhance the tourist experience and that most of them would use it when travelling.
My questions:
What do you think this advert was advertising?
Was the unique selling point of the app clear?
Is this something you would use while travelling?
Do you think this could enhance the tourist experience?
Are you familiar with a similar app?
Additional feedback
Some response examples:
Was the unique selling point of the app clear?
Is this something you would use while travelling?
Do you think this could enhance the tourist experience?
Recommended tour and map designsurvey (28/09/2021)
This survey is part of the intervention Recommended tour and map design, which is explored in more detail here.
I basically created three images of the app to get stakeholders’ feedback on map design (an important feature of the app), and whether they would gravitated towards a “Recommended tour” option rather than choosing a the more free and explorative experience that I am trying to promote.
The first image gives participants context and explains what is expected of them. In the second image, they just had to choose one of the two options.
In this image participants were asked to choose a colour pallet (dark tone, light blue tones, grey), and then which map design they preferred.
This will not appear in the final iteration of the project
One of the aspects of gamification of the tour is the narrative that ties it together. The tourists will follow an immersive story that will unravel as they reach each stop of the path. By the end a mystery will come to light and they would have learned about Venice’s history.
Index:
Version 1
Version 2
Version 1:
12/05/2021
It all started when a merchant ship brought back from the East a mysterious object. It was rumoured to have magical virtues. The story of the wonders that could be achieved by the object spread like wildfire throughout Venice.
The family that owned the lucky ship was divided on what to do with the strange artefact. The son exited by all the attention their business was getting wanted to sell it to the highest bidder. His widowed mother, however, mistrusted the ominous power of the object and the way it was affecting people’s senses. Indeed, unrest was growing like a powerful wave. All were fighting to possess it.
Seeing what was becoming of his city, the son agreed to dispose of the object. He left the palace in the cover of night hoping to make it disappear.
Destiny was cruel that day. The young merchant was murdered and the object stolen.
His ghost still wonders the streets hoping to find a charitable soul willing to help him find the stolen artefact and take it to a safe hiding place.
Feedback from Stakeholders:
This version of the story appeared in my first intervention, the mockup website that outlined the game idea in the Venetian tourism context.
I received I comment from a local that I thought was particularly compelling. She suggested that the narrative of the tour guide could be a metaphor for how Venice has been sold to tourism. By the end of the game the tourists realise that that the precious object they are looking for is not a small trinket but the entire city of Venice. The moral of the story would be that the city is a precious jewel that must be preserved. Consequently, it is a way to connect the story to the actual problem.
Another piece of feedback advised me to make the knights more central to the story as it was not clear what their role was.
Version 2:
15/06/2021
Keeping the feedback from my intervention in mind, I decided to come up with a more symbolically charged version.
2 of the feedback I was given were particularly compelling:
That the story parallels Venice current situation (even if it is set in another era), this would be a way of connecting the story to the actual problem
That the knights of Venice should be central to the story and given a clear role
Story 2:
A merchant ship brings back from the East a wonderful piece of Jewellery with mysterious origins. It is said to be composed of precious stones and gems from all over the Venetian trade route.
It was a gift to the city of Venice from an odd individual. She asked for it to never be sold. “this is a gift from me to Venice, may it be seen, shared, and admired by all, but never sold or used for personal gain”.
The young merchant, owner of the lucky boat aims to take advantage of the intense interest that the object is sparking in Venice. His mother is more reluctant as it would go against the wishes of the generous donator. People from all around the known world travel to see it or to try to buy it. The mother notices that the frenzy seems to be affecting people’s senses as greed and dishonesty become more apparent.
The Knights of Saint Mark, protectors of the city, become aware of the danger that the object represents as the unrest it brought troubles the peace of the city. They attempt to reason with the young merchant who is still waiting for the highest bidder.
They believe that the jewel should be displayed for everyone to see as a symbol of prosperity and diversity signs of Venice’s greatness and beauty. Their numerous attempts fail and frustration in Venice keeps growing.
Seeing what was becoming of his city, the son finally agreed to give back the object to the city. He left the palace in the cover of night hoping to meet with the knights. Destiny was cruel that day. The young merchant was murdered and the Jewell stolen never to be seen again.
His ghost still wonders the streets hoping to find charitable souls willing to help him find the knights.
Symbolism:
The mysterious object that came from the East becomes irrelevant and we find out that it is actually Venice that must be found and preserved. It is representation of Venice, it symbolises that the city is a product of this incredibly diverse heritage that was brought forth by conquest and trade.
The strange lady could be the Roman goddess Venus as she shares many traits with the city. Their birth is linked to the sea, their names are similar, Both considered breathtakingly beautiful.
The merchant represents those who sold Venice to tourism
The reluctant mother represents the Venetians
The kinghood is a force that unifies Venetians and locals
The aim of game:
The ghost repents for having failed the city.
The aim is to help him finding the order for him to seek forgiveness and find peace. He also does a good deed by bringing them other possible knights.
The object is irrelevant, it was always a mean of making us understand that Venice should be preserved, Venice is the jewel.
On the 9th of July I decided I had gathered enough material to start having conversations with artisans. My aim was to chat with different artisans (not necessarily those I thought could appear on my tour) and see what was their current situation after covid and if my project seemed appealing to them. Some were more supportive than others and this definitely helped me put some things into perspective.
My main conclusion from these encounters is that day tourists do not visit true artisans shops. These artisans’ client base is almost exclusively constituted of people that stay one or a few nights in Venice. Unfortunately, day tourists do not have the curiosity nor the drive to explore what is truly authentic.
These conversations confirmed my research that day tourists are the right group to target. Changing their behaviour by making them more aware of the true Venice and what it has to offer could have a positive impact on these artisans.
*
Encounter with Papier Machè mask artisans:
8/07/2021
I approached the Papier Machè artisan shop, which is run by three artisans, to pitch my idea and see if they would be interested in being part of the route I have designed. Unfortunately, I realised that the rift between certain locals and day tourists is way deeper than I had imagined. Indeed, it was made clear that those were not the sort of tourists they wanted to have around.
It was emphasised that they did not want too many people inside the store that would just look around and potentially not buy anything. When I mentioned that I aimed to create a contact between locals and tourists to improve their relationship, I was told it is not an approach they seek out.
I personally believe that this mentality is flawed as they expressed no willingness to share their craft or exchange with people that are not 100% guaranteed to buy.
On the other hand, I hear them, I understand that day tourists are not always the most respectful and appreciative. The artisans must have had some bad experiences in the past. One of them mentioned that it would be a better idea to teach tourists how to be respectful when visiting and how to truly appreciate the craft.
While I was in the shop there was a man taking photographs for a new website called Behind Venicewhere they map out all the remaining artisans of Venice to help them gain more notoriety. He told me that there are already many initiatives that try to help Venice in some way, therefore, it would be better to work together with other people already established rather starting something completely new.
(Behind Venice map) Behind-Venice. (2021) Discover and enjoy the authentic Venetian artisans and activities. Available at: https://www.behind-venice.com (Accessed: July 8 2021). My map
In many ways it resembles the map I had created with artisans, legends, cultural institutions, churches.
Conclusion:
Although I am aware that it is completely normal to have people disagreeing with your project, this interaction has made me think. It has underlined some things that I was already worrying about.
Having day tourists wondering in more quiet areas may not please everyone (I sent out a survey to make sure it would be alright but it may not have reached enough people).
Getting locals involved (artisans and cultural institutions) is complicated
Although I am half Venetian I was not raised there, which amounts to being a foreigner. Thus, there can be a lack of trust.
This artisan was way more supportive and willing to listen than the previous ones. We began by discussing how badly they had been hit by Covid. They barely have enough customers to keep the business going. Then, I enquired which sort of tourists visit the store to see if day tourists (my target group) constitute a part of their customer base. He told me that usually day tourists do not come to this area as it is more museum-based and it is not the sort of entertainment they seek out.
Unlike the previous artisans, they do not mind day tourists and are interested in any initiative that could help attract customers especially in the wake of Covid.
Conclusion:
I was relieved to see that my project was not completely inadequate, which is the feeling I had talking to the Papier Maché artisans. Furthermore, the conversation reinforced how much some artisans are struggling because of the current global situation.
As day tourists rarely spend money in artisan shops, it could make a big difference if they started doing so.
I had a very similar conversation with this artisan. It was reiterated that these were hard times and that his customer base is not day tourists but people that come visit Venice for a few days.
He expressed that day tourists lack curiosity, that they come to Venice to take pictures for social media and do not actually care about exploring.
If they were to come in and ask question about his work he would be happy to share his craft with them even if they do not buy anything. This mentality contrasts with the Papier Machè artisans who were not interested in engaging in conversation with people who do not buy.
He was very interested in idea of gamifying the tour experience but underlined that it could only work if there is a reward to grasp day tourists’ interest. Ex: A free Spritz along the way.
Conclusion:
I am happy to see that there are some artisans that are genuinely interested in sharing their craft with anyone who is interested.
He was extremely supportive of my project, which was very encouraging.
Again, the idea that day tourists could have the power to help the struggling artisans if they were to be guided to them was further reinforced.
This artisan and her partner focus on traditional paper craft. I found this shop by accident while conducting an intervention (more about the interventions here). I proceeded to add it to my map and will make sure that its presence will be notified to tourists walking in the area.
The discussion I had with the artisan highly resembled those I have had in the past. Covid has hit them hard, especially since they are located in a more quiet area of the city. In normal times, their customer base would be constituted of people renting flats nearby, however, due to the current situation, that group has dramatically decreased. She has noticed an increase in day tourists but underlined, just as the other artisans did, that they do not have much curiosity. As soon as there are no shops left they turn back and retrace their steps.
She was very supportive of my project and asked me to keep her updated.
Cultural Institutions
04/08/2021-05/08/2021
I went to various cultural institutions to speak with the staff and understand what was their situation and whether my project could be beneficial to them.
Conclusion:
Although things seem to be picking up, in the wake of Covid museums face a decline in visitors, especially foreigners.
I was surprised to see that some day tourists do take the time to go to the museum, although they are mainly Italian.
Strategic advertisement could help popularise some of the lesser known museums and attract more people instead of always capitalising on the obvious places like the Doge’s palace.
I still believe that although most museums are doing sufficiently well, having some day tourists off the crowded streets could still be beneficial to cultural institutions and to the city. Moreover, they would get a more interesting experience of Venice.
Finally, we will see how these things develop once they have installed the green pass.
The staff communicated that the museum is doing quite well, especially thanks to recent developments that were made, including the recovery of some lost art works. One year ago they were still considered as a minor museum but, although Covid was hard on them, the interest for this particular museum has been growing. This success can also be attributed to smart advertising.
They do have a portion of day tourists that come visit the palace but they are mainly Italians. The rest are people that stay a few nights in the city, some of which are foreigners.
The staff from this museum conveyed that the number of visitors has dramatically decreased since covid. Even before the pandemic it was a relatively quiet museum. They mainly have visitors that stay a few days in the city and no day tourists.
The man that very kindly gave me this information was very happy to talk about the exhibition and I could tell that he does not get very often the opportunity to share his knowledge as visitors are more scarce. Indeed, this idea is reinforced by the fact that many other members of staff were either asleep or reading a newspaper.
This museum’s staff have noticed that although there is a certain movement of people, there are considerably less visitors than before Covid.
As it is located in quite a popular area, they have both day tourists and tourists that lodge. The latter is mainly constituted of Italians and the former of foreigners.
They are waiting to see how the Greenpass (implemented on the 6th of August) will affect museum entries. This has be mentioned by almost all the people I have questioned.
This museum has less people than usual and no longer have a full weak opening but only open a few days a week. The staff member believes it will take years before the cultural institution goes back to normal. He also thinks that the palace should be more publicised in order to attract more people (like the palazzo Grimani).
They do not get day tourists but rather people that who have a specific interest for this palace.
This museum has a very similar profile to Ca’ Rezzonico. They do not get day tourists and their visitors are mainly Italians who know this specific palace. I gather that things are going back to normal, although the staff were not allowed to disclose many details on the state of the museum.
Interviewing tourists on the street:
06/08/2021
I simply walked around Venice asking tourists a series of questions to get a better idea of how I could improve their tourist experience.
The Questions:
Where are you from?
How long is your stay in Venice?
How are you finding Venice so far (positive and negative aspects)
What is an authentic tourist experience fro you?
How would you improve your Venice experience?
Results:
Australian family:
This family were not day tourists but were staying in Venice a couple of days. They were really enjoying their time in Venice although the temperature was a little too hot to their liking. They felt there were not too many tourists around, which they appreciated.
For them, an authentic tourist experience is one that does not include other tourists but them.
A way to improve their experience of the city would be to have better signage as they were struggling to know where the main landmarks were located. One suggested to have some nice arrow stones on the floor pointing the way.
Sicilian couple:
This couple were day tourists. They were finding the city beautiful and similarly to the Australian family, found that the number of tourists was appropriate.
For them, an authentic tourist experience is being able to taste typical food and, again, to experience the location without many other tourists around.
They said that their experience of Venice would improved by wearing more comfortable shoes and by better planning their trip, as they felt they were missing out on some things and were unsure what to do.
Hong Kong visitor:
What he really enjoyed about the city is that no matter which streets you take there is always something interesting to see. There are very few wrong turns to be made. A negative aspect of Venice is that for every unique shop you find there are 5 times more shops that all sell the same low quality items.
For him, an authentic tourist experience is something that allows him to engage with different aspects of the culture, such as meeting locals, festivities, food etc. Sight seeing is not enough.
He would improve his experience by spending more time in Venice so that he could experience what people would not consider tourist activities, but the true and mundane life of the city.
French visitor:
She was absolutely loving Venice finding it very picturesque and full of history. However, just like the Honk Kong visitor, she noticed that there were many shops selling very low quality items.
For her, an authentic tourist experience is visiting an area where the topography has not changed to accommodate tourism.
She would improve her experience by having a better knowledge of the more hidden and quiet areas of the city.
Mexican visitor:
This visitor was a day tourist. Just like all the other visitors, he thought Venice was wonderful. He appreciated its uniqueness and how easy it is to get to. He was a little more weary about what he called the “façade”, a fake display of authenticity, which is very difficult to get away from. This idea reminded me of a text about tourism sociology that I thought particularly enlightening.
“Authenticity is often staged by the hosts who furtively undermine the tourist’s endeavour. Caught in a staged “tourist space” from which there is no exit, modern mass tourists are denied access to the back regions of the host society where genuine authenticity can be found.” (Cohen : 1984)
He also find it quite difficult to find specific pieces of historical information about the city. When I gave him an overview of my project he told me about an app that seemed to explore a similar field. This app is called SmartGuide, where they offer planned tours with geolocated audio descriptions of landmarks. I immediately made a note to research it once I got home.
For him, an authentic tourist experience is having easy access to the history of the host location. His aim would be to learn as much as he possibly can without being treated as a tourist.
Him too, would improve his experience by staying longer in Venice and by doing more research before hand.
*
Challenges:
The temperature was very hot, which I suspect made some people more unwilling to stop. Some visitors were quite rude.
When I heard about the SmartGuide app (mentioned in the section above), I immediately feared I was repeating an already existing concept, which made me really nervous. Once home I searched into it and found out that amongst their panel of options, Venice was one of them. Thankfully, they did not quite have the same approach:
They built a linear tour where the tells you the way, which is the opposite of what I am doing, as I aim to provide a more free and explorative experience where visitors are free to wonder as they please.
The app does not advise you to visit any artisans that one can buy from
It does not show you any museum other than the doge’s palace
I had a look at some of their historical informations and I spotted historical inaccuracies.
Their main tour (the one in blue) is the most mainstream and touristy path of Venice, which I avoid at all cost and focus on the more quiet areas.
They do not explore the Castello sestiere, which is the district I focus on.
Mainly focus on audio, which I do not
They are very recent and still beta testing
SmartGuide website
Conclusion:
There are a few ideas that kept coming up. Interestingly, tourists find that there are not too many people when locals feel quite overwhelmed about the amount of visitors.
I found that much of what the interviewees said reflected my research. For instance, the fact that Venice created a façade for tourists, which will not allow them to walk through, or that dramatically changing the topography of the city to fit tourism is a way to choke authenticity.
Furthermore, most agreed that to them an authentic tourist experience is one that does not involve many other tourists around, in other words, they do not want the mass. This shows that my project could be beneficial to them, as it is the Venice away from the mass that I want to showcase. In addition, many wished they had better planned their trip as they were left unsure as to what to visit. An app like the one I am designing could support visitors who do not have a plan as they would still find out more about the city with minimum effort.
Finally, it was lovely to see that all the interviewees really appreciating the city.
Works cited:
Cohen, E. (1984) ‘The Sociology of Tourism: Approaches, Issues, and Findings’, Annual Review of Sociology, Vol. 10, pp. 373-392.
On this post I list all the major breakthroughs I have had. These may also appear in other posts according to what other topics they are connected to (they will be linked).
Index:
How to build my route
Better communication
Major evolution of the project
Discussion with supportive artisans, Ca’Macan, Casin Dei Nobili
Mainstream paths had to be used to reach some of the stops
Having to retrace one’s steps
too long
But thanks to this intervention I now know which specific district I should focus on (Castello) as it is completely away from the beaten track. Not testing the route in the flesh would have made it impossible to get an accurate vision of its content.
The intervention was a failure as the stakeholder was not able to complete the route the way I intended her to, however, it stirred me into a better direction and I became aware of many ways I can improve the project.
Better Communication
23/06/2021
From the interactions I have had with experts Marco de Michelis and Roberto D’Agostino, I realised that I miscommunicated the essence of my project. They both initially thought I wanted to get rid of or control mass tourism. I am very well aware that I do not have that power
Perhaps that when I make presentations, instead of solely showing pictures of crowded streets (as part of the problem), I should also show empty museums and neighbourhoods to convey how little that side of the city is being explored. This would show that I do not want to eliminate the mass, I just want to inspire a few day tourists to give back to the city by experiencing a more authentic and unexplored side to Venice, while promoting a sense a community between the locals and the tourists.
Major evolution of the project
9/07/2021
I approached the Papier Machè artisan shop, which is run by three artisans, to pitch my idea and see if they would be interested in being part of the route I have designed. Unfortunately, I realised that the rift between certain locals and day tourists is way deeper than I had imagined. Indeed, it was made clear that those were not the sort of tourists they wanted to have around.
This interaction was recorded in more detail here.
Conclusion:
Although I am aware that it is completely normal to have people disagreeing with your project, this interaction has made me think. It has underlined some things that I was already worrying about.
Having day tourists wondering in more quiet areas may not please everyone (I sent out a survey to make sure it would be alright but it may not have reached enough people).
Getting locals involved (artisans and cultural institutions) is very complicated
Although I am half Venetian I was not raised there, which amounts to being a foreigner. Thus, there can be a lack of trust.
This lead me to think about other aspects of my current idea that can be considered as great challenges.
Additional Challenges:
It encapsulates a lot
I think I am trying to address to many issues: unprofitable and disrespectful tourism, tourist-local relationship, city movement, authenticity of the tourist experience.
And trying to incorporate too many things: interactive immersive experience, gamification, storytelling, learning (history and art history).
Time constraints during the tour experience
It is hard to predict in a city like Venice how long it would take to complete the gamified tour. Tourists might feel pressured to hurry up or will not have enough time to complete the game.
Logistics
When one starts getting cultural institutions involved everything starts revolving around their opening times. It would be very difficult to synchronize everything. One would not be able to play the game whenever they want and not at all on closing days.
Conclusion:
Basically, with the current version of the project, I am controlling too many factors. I am trying to create something that ticks all the boxes but it is not necessarily a productive way of spending my time. I need to keep in mind that I have limited time and that I should focus on doing really well what is realistically attainable.
The New Idea:
The new idea involves using a geolocation app that will unlock pieces of information about the city when tourists have entered a specific radius. Once one has entered the radius they will be pinged. The notification may contain a historical fact, a legend, a comment about the architecture and advices such as: “you are close to this talented artisan, or there is a magnificent Bellini in the church near you”.
Why?
It is a way to transform tourism in Venice from being Linear to explorative. It gives an opportunity for an adventure, while learning about history and promoting authentic and interesting cultural features of the city.
Promotes exploration-based tourism rather than a linear one.
The user gets a notification when reaching a geolocated point.
These points can contain: a history fact, a venetian legend, a museum, a Church or an artisan.
Those will be located off the beaten track.
Creating a feature that either promotes community spirit between locals and tourists or that emphasizes the importance of being a respectful tourist.
Discussion with supportive artisans, Ca’Macan, Casin Dei Nobili
9/07/2021
Thankfully, I have had some discussions with some artisans that were very supportive of my project, for more details click here.
I was relieved to see that my project was not completely inadequate, which is the feeling I had talking to the Papier Maché artisans. Furthermore, the conversation reinforced how much some artisans are struggling because of the current global situation.
As day tourists rarely spend money in artisan shops, it could make a big difference if they started doing so.
Although they were positive about the project, the more sceptic Papier Maché artisans made me question everything and I ultimately decided to modify the gamification of the tourist experience.
Tech Experts
5/07/2021-14/07/2021
Having made contact with tech experts Herman Ho and Jesse Sigalov (more here) has widened my horizons on what I could do with this project. They reassured me that what I was picturing could be done and give me the support I need to develop the digital side.
They both took the time to show me how Unity3d software works (a platform to create digital interactive content) and shared some of their own ideas on how to create something engaging.
A non-linear route intervention
21/07/2021
This intervention (detailed here) was a breakthrough because it was my first attempt at testing with stakeholders the way my project had evolved. It was quite different to what I had been doing before as I was no longer trying to create heavily curated and controlled routes, but a more free and explorative experience still located off the beaten track.
Screenshot of the map I designed for the intervention
This was the first iteration of a series of interventions that followed the same principle but that all learned from each other. It showed me that it was possible to achieve what I was designing in my head and opened the doors to all the ways I could improve it.
In this section I will document how stakeholders react to the cultural routes I have created.
Index:
Diamond/Silver route test 1
Diamond/Silver route test 2
The Castello route (version 1)
A non-linear route (Castello district) test 1
A non-linear route (Castello district) test 2
A non-linear route (Castello district) test 3
A non-linear route (Castello district) test 4 with tourism expert
An advertisment video
Diamond/Silver route test 1:
25/05/2021
Local Francesco Loredan has agreed to try the route (without entering the cultural institution). I was looking for honest feedback and advice in order to create an authentic experience.
Email I received from the stakeholder
Practical suggestions:
If the vessel ends up being an app, there should be a way click on the cultural site of interest and being showcased a picture of it.
An audio description of the historical sites would be useful.
Route suggestions:
Make sure to pass by the San Giovanni e Paolo church
Stop in front of the statue of Bartolomeo Colleoni
To notice the Scuola Grande di San Marco
Insert the S. Maria dei Miracoli Church and San Giorgio dei Greci
On the road to S. Zaccaria (Sottoportego Corte Rota) there is a “Chicca”, one of the last forcole makers (where you rest the paddle).
Other interesting church, Madonna del Orto (appears in another one of my routes).
Limitations:
I was not on site when Francesco took the tour, as a result I was not able to control how accurately he followed the route. Additionally, I may be familiar with the route from the map but have not experimented it myself in the real world resulting in some uncertainty as whether it ticks all the boxes.
Hopefully next time I can test it myself and see if the Diamond route is viable or if it needs changing.
Diamond/Silver route test 2:
20/06/ 2021
I tested the route with a stakeholder (tourist) Shreya Rajesh. We were both in Venice this time. Her input was very precious as it was her first time in Venice. It was a long and strenuous day as i realised that transitioning from a route drawn on a map to the maze-like streets of Venice was harder than I had imagined. Fortunately, although I concluded that I had to redesign this route, I have had some valuable breakthroughs.
For more written and visual documentation for this route click here.
The route
Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo:
Chiesa di San Zaccaria:
All photographs by Olimpia Loredan
Chiesa di San Giorgio dei Greci:
Sotoportego Dei Preti (legend location):
All photographs by Olimpia Loredan
L’Artista Della Barbaria(artisanal masks):
This stop sadly shows how much Venice was hit by the Covid crisis as the shop had recently closed. This was the only artisanal boutique that I could find online in that neighbourhood, which made me panic a little. Fortunately, while walking to the next stop I stumbled upon two other artisan boutiques, which had never appeared online. What they do is beautiful and they are very open to talk about their craft.
Closed artisan
New artisan
Other new artisan
Palazzo Grimani:
All photographs by Olimpia Loredan
Stakeholder feedback:
In the afternoon I took my stakeholder on the tour, which was a little chaotic as I managed to get lost again.
her feedback to me was, which I had anticipated, that the stops are too spread out from each other and that some of them, although they are private and quiet, are surrounded by tourist routes. Each stop she enjoyed, although she preferred walking in the Castello district (around where the Palazzo Grimani is located) as it felt more peaceful and authentic.
It is actually because of Shreya that I found one of the two new artisan shops as I would have walked passed it without noticing.
Challenges and Breakthroughs:
As mentioned before, it was difficult to reach the stops with the best route possible. I quickly realised that although the stops where not mainstream at all, the paths to reach them were.
Furthermore, there were some logistic issues because sometimes one had to retrace their steps in order to move on to the next location, which I believe to be redundant and counterproductive.
The stops were also too spread out from each other. It would take too much time for a stranger to the city to complete the route.
But thanks to this intervention I now know which specific district I should focus on (Castello) as it is completely away from the beaten track. Not testing the route in the flesh would have made it impossible to get an accurate vision of its content.
In conclusion, the intervention was a failure as the stakeholder was not able to complete the route the way I intended her to, however, it stirred me into a better direction and I became aware of many ways I can improve the project.
The Castello route (version 1)
4/07/2021
Here, once again, my intervention was to have a tourist stakeholder experience the new route I have created. As Shreya only tested version 1, I asked her to test this new version as well (there are 4 in total):
New version:
The church Santa Maria dei Miracoli
Legend at the Saint Mark’s Scuola
The Church San Giovanni e Paolo
Church San Francesco della Vigna
Artisans
Palazzo Grimani
It took us 1:30 to complete it
Stakeholder’s feedback:
Shreya very kindly wrote her feedback down with her own words and in great detail:
Marble church: beginning the journey here, at the entrance of the church set the tone for something that felt a bit hidden. I imagine most tourists will arrive- as we did- from the square, across the bridge, and then walking around the church to arrive at the entrance. This gave me the opportunity to engage with the facade in its totality. The open window was a quaint treat.
I liked the architectural history nugget about the bridge that connected the nunnery and the church. I noticed a nice courtyard just as we turned down the narrow path and some nice pink flowers across the canal at the end of the path.
It was nice to be reminded to turn around to look at the entrance to a Palazzo from Casanova and be reminded of the gift pig being brought to the house across the canal.
I’ve started to notice the Mary’s with umbrellas everywhere!
I then don’t remember the walk but it wasn’t too long to get to the next stop. I thought turning the corner that opened up into the square was wonderful.
Enjoyed the juxtaposition of the grand facade of the scuola with the perspective reliefs and the brick church.
The church was large and imposing and continued on this monumental scale inside as well.
I also liked seeing the island across the lagoon. I think it tempted me to prefer the lagoon walk
The path we took involved crossing the square, past the trees with inviting benches beneath for weary feet.
From the square to the next stop we walked through a long street passing some shops, churches, and restaurants. It felt like just another busy street but this was part of the variety of this experience.
The next church with the monastery was a nice addition. I especially liked detour into the monastery with its two courtyards. It reminded me of other monastery’s I’d visited. I liked the history that linked the church to St Marc and his visit- who is such a central figure. It involved a the prophecy that foretold of the riches of Venice. I also enjoyed the architectural history – about the old medieval church and its replacement.
I linked walking under the building and over the bridge. I noticed a photographer taking pictures of the view of the canal from the bridge. It wasn’t too busy and this reinforced the off the beaten path element to this walk.
The sottoportego involving the legend about the end of the plague reminded me of the importance of the end of the plague and the devastating impact of the plague in Venice. It was a highly decorated tunnel. It was nice that is was literally a part of the path. The streets were relatively empty so we were easily able to stop inside the tiny tunnel and appreciate the painting, ceiling, and floor.
The walk felt a little long but I think the things to notice along the way such as the unfinished brick church facade. I also liked the walk itself with crossing bridges, walking the long alley with flowers alongside the supermarket. I think we walked along the canal at some point and I enjoyed that too in contrast to walking across them.
Walking past the hand painted face mask store and then the bookshop, and then some more stores to end up at the square was also nice because I didn’t feel like I was missing out on the tourist window shopping experience but that I was getting it with a more artisan take.
The palazzo grimani felt like an especially good choice. It was tucked away so maybe I would not have gone to it unless prompted. I liked that you entered through a courtyard. Enjoyed the juxtaposition of the old and the contemporary even though I can’t say the exhibition made much of an impression. The frescos on the walls and ceilings, the antique statues, and the surrealist fireplaces caught my attention.
I felt like I had seen a substantial amount in an hour and a half and was very pleased with myself! The variety and the attention to detail and the approach to each spot was especially good.
I wonder how it would be if the streets were a bit more crowded, I’m not sure we would get it done in an hour and a half then.
It was also good to note that the grimani tickets were free for students.
I can’t remember whether the artisan shop had things in a range of price brackets. I wanted to get so many things from the shop but I didn’t pay attention to if there were affordable options I liked.
Photographs by Olimpia Loredan
What went well:
I was pleased to see that Shreya very much enjoyed the experience. She noted that this time the tour was off the beaten track and offering a variety of interesting historical elements and aesthetically pleasing urban landscapes. I think that she could feel that the path was taking her to a more authentic part of the city, which I see as a success.
Unlike my last intervention, I did not get lost or confused at any time during the tour, which made Shreya’s experience way more harmonious and pleasurable.
What I should improve/change:
The stakeholder felt that the walk between the Church of San Francesco della Vigna and the artisans was a little too long, although just as interesting as the rest. Perhaps I could imagine some interactive elements that would keep the tourists entertained and thus less focused on the length of the walk.
She also mentioned that she may have preferred walking along the lagoon from the Church San Giovanni e Paolo to San Francesco della Vigna as I have designed it in version 2 of this route:
It is a beautiful walk by the lagoon, however, I am worried that it gets too hot in the summer as it is completely exposed to the sun. It also extends the route quite a bit. Further interventions must be made in order to get more feedback on the matter.
Challenges:
This intervention ran quite smoothly but what may potentially be worrying is the number of tourists dramatically rising after covid. Indeed, I have already seen a difference since i got here. The Vicinity of the Palazzo Grimani used to be very tranquil but this weekend a wave of people crowded the streets.
Luckily I knew the area quite well before covid so I know that most of it does not get crowded. I just need to keep an eye on the last part of the route, which seems to be more popular.
A non-linear route(Castello district) test 1:
21/07/2021
Introduction:
The aim of this intervention is to see how stakeholders react to how my project has evolved. Indeed, I am no longer trying to create heavily curated and controlled routes, but rather a more free and explorative experience (always in places off the beaten track). I would like to build an app which sends users a notification once they reach a geolocated spot, which contains an interesting piece of information about the city: this may be a historical fact, a legend, an advice to go check out a particular church, artisan shop or museum.
What I want to gain from this:
How long should the anecdotes be (plan an intervention testing length of text)
How many spots should be around
Is the phone distracting from the city
Are the spots easy to find
Should I show images?
The Intervention:
My stakeholders were not guided by me but had access to a very abstract map I have created that displays the various points. This gives a general idea of where the historical anecdotes are located (this is a way to encourage tourists to discover less-explored areas while being free to wander down any path).
This is the map my stakeholders had access to. They did not know what sort of information each red dot carries as I would like to keep an element of surprise.
As this intervention aims to mimic the way the app would work, instead of having an instant notification thanks to geolocation, they just had to click on the dot they were closest to to get the piece of information about the city (I was there to tell them whenever they were close to a spot).
I had access to a more detailed map, where I categorised each piece of information. It was a way for to avoid getting lost and missing any red spots.
Documenting the intervention:
Photographs by Olimpia Loredan
Feedback Stakeholder 1:
I tested it first with tourist stakeholder Shreya Rajesh. She had a lot of useful feedback that will help me improve my interventions.
Positive comments:
She really enjoyed the narrative style of some of the anecdotes, such as those that had a time travel element to them.
She felt that at the end of the day she had learned new things about the city
She enjoyed learning about random Venice facts such as how the Venetian language influenced modern Greek.
Particularly enjoyed discovering a canal route that was not touristy but that contained all the elements that tourists like.
She found that she started to map the city in her head with more ease because she associating some parts of the city with the anecdotes that she had read.
Possible improvements and suggestions:
Although she enjoyed the random facts about Venice (those that are not tied to a specific visual element of the city), she felt a little uncomfortable stopping to read the anecdote without having to look at anything that was linked to the piece of information on her phone. She suggested that the user should know when the notification will refer to a random fact or to an instant where one needs to stop and observe something specific.
As this specific stakeholder felt a little uncomfortable stopping, she mentioned that an audio version (especially for the random facts) could be quite nice if a visitor is walking alone. I had already thought about an audio version and I like the idea. However, it would not be effective for people that travel in groups, which most tourists do, furthermore, there is something a little off about experiencing a city with your earphones on at all times. Nonetheless, adding audio could definitely be done, but at a later date as an additional feature.
Sometimes, the texts did not make it clear enough as to what structure they were referring to, which could be easily fixed by adding more visual cues. Additionally, she felt that text was a little formal sometimes and not immersive enough.
She suggested a “nudge feature” in case users were struggling to find the right spots with anecdotes and a feature that would disable the notifications one has already read so that the user will not keep receiving the same anecdotes if they retrace their steps.
Challenges:
I found that my stakeholder tended to want to control the experience or to be held by the hand through it. I had to make it clear that the aim of the project was not to deliver a curated and controlled tourist experience but one that promotes individual curiosity and exploration.
Moreover, she had many suggestions (all very helpful) but it would sometimes distract her from the intervention. Next time I will encourage stakeholders to keep most of the comments to the end of the event to avoid the possibility of them experiencing the intervention for what it could be instead of for what it is.
What went well:
There were no major technical difficulties, which really helped with the smooth running of the intervention.
The idea that was tested worked as the stakeholder learned about the city and felt rewarded from it.
Certain descriptions and anecdotes made the stakeholder want to enter cultural institutions that she would not have thought interesting otherwise. This, I consider a big success as it is exactly what the project is trying to promote.
I discovered a new artisan by accident, which I added to my map. Shreya even bought some paper from them, which is the sort of behaviour I am trying to encourage.
Conclusion:
Overall, this intervention went well, although there is much space for improvement. There are 4 main things that I believe I should take on board, which are:
Adding visual cues (so that users know exactly what they are reading about)
Consider an audio version.
Adding a “disable notification” feature (so that users do not keep receiving the same anecdotes when retracing their steps).
Making the texts more immersive and a little less formal.
Although Shreya seemed to appreciate the length of the informative texts, in the future, I would like to gather other people’s opinions about it. I would also like to find out if using words is enough or if I should add visual support as well.
Furthermore, although Shreya felt like she had re-discovered the Castello district through the anecdotes, she was already familiar with some of the areas. In order to get a more objective feedback, next time I will take a tourist who is completely unfamiliar to that location.
A non-linear route(Castello district)test 2:
30/07/2021
This intervention is a repetition of the previous one but with a different stakeholder. I made a few improvements following the previous stakeholder’s feedback:
More visual cues (so that users know exactly what they are looking at)
Make the text a little less formal and more immersive
Example of Anecdote Before and After:
Before:
“This church and convent were founded in 1254. The structure was originally gothic in style but was replaced in 1534 with the Renaissance church that you see today. Its façade was designed by famous architect Andrea Palladio.
Legend has it that the church was built where Saint Mark had stopped to rest after leaving Aquileia. An angel came to the saint and announced that to honour him a powerful city would be founded in this lagoon. The original Church was built to commemorate this event.
Inside, along with the handsomely decorated chapels, you will be presented with frescoes by Tiepolo and with a painting by Giovanni Bellini, Virgin and Child and Saints, 1507.”
After:
“Here, you should be facing a highly symmetric white façade whose entrance is guarded by two bronze statues.
This church and convent were founded in 1254. The structure was originally gothic in style but was replaced in 1534 with the Renaissance church that you see today. Its façade was designed by famous architect Andrea Palladio.
Legend has it that the church was built where Saint Mark had stopped to rest after leaving Aquileia. An angel came to the saint and announced that to honour him a powerful city would be founded in this lagoon. The original Church was built to commemorate this event.
Inside, along with the handsomely decorated chapels, you will be presented with frescoes by Tiepolo and with a painting by Giovanni Bellini, Virgin and Child and Saints, 1507.”
Feedback Stakeholder 2:
This time, I took tourist Lé Zhèn Lōng around the Castello district, following the same principal as last time: abstract map, and me mimicking that he has received a notification with an anecdote.
Photographs by Olimpia Loredan
Positive comments:
Information was very interesting and the length of the texts was suitable.
Many pings (anecdotes) were placed on things that he would have missed otherwise.
It gave him the opportunity to curate and explore the city in a way he was interested in. (Non linear experience).
Possible improvements and suggestions:
The stakeholder felt that some words that appeared in the anecdotes were a little unaccessible, which could be remedied by adding short definitions. Furthermore, he noticed that dates were not consistent as I used both Roman and regular numbers.
He also suggested to think about what would happen if a user decides not to open the notification. I thought it could be nice to have an archive feature where all the notifications (open and unopened) end up going when the user has reached the geolocated spots.
Finally, the stakeholder advised me to find a suitable method to make it clear that what is offered to the public is my take on Venice and not a universal one to avoid any comments such as: “Why didn’t you include this landmark on your map”?
Challenges:
I had a little moment of confusion as I had planned to make a correction on one of the anecdotes, which had been inspired from the previous intervention. However, I forgot to update it on the map, which meant that the information did not match with the landmark I was aiming to highlight. Luckily, I remembered the correct information and just recounted it to my stakeholder.
At the very beginning of the intervention, the stakeholder was following the map very intently, which meant he was mainly focusing on his phone (something I would like to avoid). This tells me I need to find a way to attract tourists to the authentic areas of Venice, without having them spending all their time looking at a map.
What went well:
The stakeholder read the anecdotes out loud, which help me see whether the texts made sense or if corrections were to be made.
During the experience we met two tourists, which were trying to find information about a place that appears on my map. I decided to test the anecdote with them and it went very well. They liked the idea of my project because hey could not find any website or map to really help them engage with the city culturally. One of them even suggested to create an offline version of the app that people can download before getting to the city, as tourists do not always have access to data.
The two tourists I have encountered, Photograph by Olimpia Loredan
We also met a Venetian that confirmed to me that what I had researched about this particular area was accurate and even gave some additional information about it.
The stakeholder quickly got the concept. He was easier to manage as he did not try to control the experience, unlike my previous stakeholder.
Encouragingly, he could see that this idea could be applied to many other tourist destinations.
Conclusion:
This interventions ran very smoothly. The one that came before definitely helped me improve this version: the anecdotes were clearer, and I was better at explaining the concept.
There are four main things that I am taking away from this intervention:
How to clarify that the app is my personal take on Venice and not a universal one.
What happens to notifications that are read and unread
Find a way to limit the time users’ spend on the phone looking at the map
Make some of the words used in the anecdotes more accessible
A non-linear route(Castello district)test 3:
31/07/2021
This intervention is a repetition of the two previous ones.
Feedback Stakeholder 3:
This time, the stakeholder Dominique Dehe is not a tourist but what I would refer to as a semi-local. Although she is not a Venice resident, she has a flat in the city and has been staying there regularly for almost 30 years.
Photographs by Olimpia Loredan
Positive comments:
Very enthusiastic to learn more about a city she is already familiar with
This idea is easily applicable to other tourist locations
The idea is easily expandable and many more features can be added later on
Possible improvements and suggestions:
The stakeholder suggested that there should be a “recommended route” option for those who prefer a more structured experience or that simply do not have much time and wish to have the security that they will be seeing things that are worthwhile. Interestingly, I have heard the same thought from a local, which further encouraged me to consider the possibility.
As this stakeholder was very curious, she pointed out a few additional landmarks she thought could be mentioned on the app. These include: a church, a little chapel, an 18th century school of sciences and an equestrian statue on the San Giovanni e Paolo square. I will make sure to research all of these elements and possibly add them to my app.
Similarly to stakeholder 1, she mentioned that an audio version could be an interesting feature to add.
Challenges:
The stakeholder was very curious about some elements that did not appear on my map, which made me a little anxious as I did not want to disappoint her.
Sometimes my map would glitch, which forced me to stop a couple of times to reset it.
What went well:
The stakeholder discovered new things about Venice although she was very familiar with the city, which is very encouraging. It would be lovely if even the locals could experiment with the app to see if they can learn more about their city.
Although she is from an upper demographic, the project appealed to her, which suggests that the app will not only interest the younger generations.
Conclusion:
The intervention went well, both the stakeholder and I had an enjoyable time.
There are 3 main things that I am taking away from this intervention:
The fact that the project can very well appeal to a wider demographic
I should reflect more deeply on the “recommended route” option
Since it was mentioned by 2 stakeholders already, the idea of developing an audio version seems to be solidifying.
A non-linear route (Castello district) test 4 with tourism expert
14/08/2021
This intervention follows the same principle as the previous ones. The only difference is that I have made some of the additions that had been suggested by the previous stakeholder such as adding a description of Equestrian statue of Bartolomeo Colleoni. Moreover, some pictures were attached to a couple of the anecdotes when it seemed that visual aid would be helpful.
Example of an anecdote with an image
Feedback Stakeholder 4:
This time, I took expert Marco Loredan founder of The Venice Experience(a travel agency in Venice). His professional knowledge of the city and his Venetian local view were very valuable.
Positive comments:
The stakeholder enjoyed himself during the intervention and has taken a liking to the project. He thought that the anecdotes were very well written and that they contained some very useful information.
Possible improvements and suggestions:
Some of the anecdotes were a little too long in his opinion. He feels that tourists often have quite a short attention span.
He advised me to add the URLs of the places that can be visited so that the users can directly check relevant informations like opening times or whether they can buy tickets online.
He also suggested a few interesting places I could add to the map:
The Church of the ospedaletto
San Giorgio dei Schiavoni Church
Scuola dei Schiavoni
Chiesa San Giorgio di Malta
Challenges:
My phone was acting up so it was difficult sometimes to access the map.
The temperature was extremely hot, which compelled us to stop frequently in the shade, slowing down the process.
I noted that there are a few typos in some of the anecdotes that must be rectified.
What went well:
The concept was very well understood by the stakeholder. He learned some new facts, which is very encouraging especially since he works in tourism and already has a lot of knowledge about Venice.
Conclusion:
This is probably the most successful intervention as I was really able to improve the experience thanks to the previous stakeholders’ feedbacks. I felt more confident about my anecdotes and about the places they were attached to.
The main things I am taking away from this intervention:
Adding URLs
Consider shortening some of the anecdotes
Adding the locations he suggested
An advertisment video:
10/08/2021-21/08/2021
I decided that a good way to test my idea digitally would be to create a promotional video, which would be sent out to stakeholders. It is a way to see if the app sparks interest in people, while reaching a wider demographic.
Research:
Since I have never made an advertisement video I went on youtube to study what sort patterns they followed and whether I could find one that fit my idea. There were three main app adverts that stood up to me:
This app is the most similar to my idea as it offers a digital travel guide. It helped me visually structure my own add and showed me how to get the meaning across.
This advert underlined how much music can create meaning and enhance emotions.
Filming process:
I set out with a friend to film areas of Venice and us walking through them. The idea is to show these under-explored places that I have been navigating and documenting this summer through the experience of two characters that are using this educational “app” (has not been developed yet).
Editing:
I merged the piano music and the natural sounds of the city to create a more authentic impression. Most of the shots are original but I used stock footage for the clips of the plane, train, boat and areal perspective of the city at the beginning of the video.
Designing a logo:
I decided to call the app “Off Z Track”, which I think represents quite well the nature of the project. Then, I started designing a few logo options.
Final Logo:
The Video:
Stakeholders’ feedback:
I created a survey for participants to fill out after watching the video.
The Questions:
What do you think this advert was advertising?
Was the unique selling point of the app clear?
Is this something you would use while travelling?
Do you think this could enhance the tourist experience?
Are you familiar with a similar app?
Additional feedback
Overall thoughts:
I was glad to see that the participants mostly understood what the video was advertising. A few of them had very good descriptions of what the app aims to offer:
Discovering cities (Venice in particular) with a more authentic / informed look
An app to assist tourists find hidden and interesting areas of the city they’re visiting
Hidden parts of Venice that are overlooked in favour of the more popular tourist spots. A chance at showcasing the actual history of Venice through its people instead of just places to tick off a list.
A mobile app that helps out tourists to see a quieter side of a city which may hold an important and interesting history.
An app to help tourists discover places in Venice off the beaten track
Most participants agreed that the selling point of the app was clear, that it would enhance the tourist experience and that most of them would use it when travelling.
Constructive criticism:
Make the app’s use more clear
I was asked whether there will be a language option, which I think there will if I were to pursue this project after the masters.
Blue and white writing hard to read/ don’t pause enough to read the text. (Here, I see how the white writing was probably not the best choice, especially paired with the dainty font, however, the video was just meant to give an idea of what the app is about and not really focus on the specific historical information that appeared in the shots).
It would be good to make it more clear why this app is special, why it is better than the rest.
Again, I was advised to develop an audio version.
If it becomes popular it will draw many people in the area, which will become crowded and thus the selling point will become obsolete. (I have been thinking about this from some time, I do not know yet how to avoid this scenario).
The quality of the video is not perfect, (this is understandable as the production is nowhere near professional).
It is important to make it clear how the app communicates the information (geolocation or computer vision to recognise palaces). (It was mentioned in the video that we were using geolocation but perhaps it came and went too fast).
Positive comments:
“This feels like an unobtrusive augmented reality service . I hope it is multilingual . Nice work.”
“The video was very clear and it not only made me want to visit Venice, it also made me want to engage more fully with its culture through the app”
“It felt like the adventurous aspect of discovering these gems was very enticing”
“Great idea, should be done for all historical cities”
Expert’s comments:
My game design expert gave a run-down of how to improve the quality of the video and make sure that the essence of the project is well conveyed.
He gave me some technical advice such as how to prevent the text from being wobbly or how to add strategic animation to clarify certain parts.
Exchange with Herman
What I could have done better:
Better video quality (it was filmed on a phone and the animations were wobbly and sometimes difficult to read
I could have added some screenshots of the app to solidify the way it works (which I have not designed yet)
Not having used any stock videos, (I had to add a few for the shots that were too complicated for me to film such as the areal perspectives of Venice).
Perhaps I should have made it more clear that the app works with geolocation as it is one of the unique selling points of the product.
I should have added more shots with people such as artisans to highlight authentic connections.
On this post I document the interactions I have had with experts, outlining their advice and feedback on my project. Some of this content will also appear in other posts as I may refer to it to explain my decisions and new ideas.
Marco Loredan, travel agent
4/5/2021
I reached out to Marco Loredan, founder of The Venice Experience. It is a travel agency that specialises in the organisation of conferences, visits of villas, palaces, gardens and historical cellars that are not open to the public in Venice and on the mainland.
All the yellow pointers on the map were his suggestions of special places off the beaten track. He helped enrich my routes and discover new places.
Email exchange (in Italian) where he list the places that were added to my map:
14/08/2021
Marco took part in one of my interventions, which I detail in my intervention journal. He suggested some places I could add to my app and gave me some compelling advice, which stems from his professional knowledge of the city.
Alan Lock, architect
10/4/2021 – ongoing
Alan is an architecture graduate founder of Studio ENV, urban design studio, who has been teaching me how to use creative softwares such as Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. All interactions were in person.
He has also given me advice on how to map Venice in the most efficient way and has introduced me to apps used by construction engineers and architects to create 3D models of things and buildings as a way to enrich the digital experience of tourists.
These apps include:
Trnio
Scandi Pro
Lidar
3d warehouse
7/08/2021-
Alan has recently given me a tutorial on how to use the creative software AfterEffect. Indeed, for my next intervention I am creating an advertising video about my app idea, which I will send out to stakeholders and then collect their feedback. You can read more about this intervention here.
19/11/2021
I contacted Alan to help me to find a more efficient way of tracing some bell tower pictures, which I wanted to use for the festival final piece. Initially, I wanted to do everything on illustrator but he advised me to use architecture software Rhinoceros 3D, which sped up the process. You can read more about this process on the Festival piece post.
Marco De Michelis, professor at Universita IUAV di Venezia
21/6/2021
This expert works in the political and social sciences department of this Venice University. Therefore, I thought he could have an interesting view of the city’s societal dynamics, especially the local-tourist relationship. We scheduled a phone call to talk about my project.
This a screenshot of me introducing myself and setting up a meeting (Ialian language)
His feedback:
Although he quite liked my project, he underlined that I would not be able to affect mass tourism. By this, he meant that if my project were to be very successful, the mass would still be present as Venice is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world.
He seemed to think that I aimed to eliminate mass tourism, which is not the case (may have been some miscommunication here). As a result, he expressed that tourism is a right and that everybody should experience Venice.
He proposed that the creation of new regulations on the number of hotels and BandBs would be more efficient in preventing the city to capitalise on tourism (not at all the root I want to take). He also mentioned corruption in Venice and schemes to sell tourists made-in-China items.
He advised me to include the lagoon in my tour as he (and many other locals I have spoken to), believe it to be the most beautiful thing about Venice. Although it would be wonderful, I target a tourist group that has little time to spend in the city and that is only willing to spend a limited amount of money.
He asked me to contact him again once I have a definitive route.
What I took from it:
Unfortunately, this expert sounded very disillusioned about Venice’s situation. I am not sure he understood the essence of my project, how I want to promote a more responsible type of tourism (not to get rid of the mass) and inspire tourists and locals to work together for the preservation of the city.
This shows me that I need to communicate better my ideas, especially when I speak Italian, which I always find harder. Therefore, I must make sure that my stakeholders and experts do not get the impression that I am trying to eliminate mass tourism.
Instead, it should be clear that I want to offer day tourists a way of giving back to the city by experiencing a more authentic and unexplored side to Venice.
Roberto D’agostino, Venice city planning councillor:
22/6/2021
I was given his contact by a local and we met in person.
This a screenshot of me introducing myself and setting up a meeting (Italian language)
Similarly to Michelis, he advised me not to try to control the mass but to convert it, to encourage more respectful behaviour and interest in the unexplored Venice. This tells me that I need to modify my project description and maybe my question in order to make this more clear. I must be sounding like I plan to fix mass tourism.
He liked many aspects of the project:
The creation of a sense of community between the locals and the tourists
Gamifying the tourist experience
The narrative of the tour
the exploration of the Venice behind the glass wall
the involvement of locals
Like Michelis, he mentioned adding the lagoon to the tour, but retracted the idea when I explained the day tourist’s limitations.
He shared interesting historical facts and under explored locations, ex:
San Francesco della vigna
San Pietro di Castello
Arsenale
La celestia
Casino dei Spiriti
He also advised me to seek the help of the owner of the Fillippi book shop. He will show me the best books about Venice’s history, architecture and art history.
The expert asked me if he could try the route once it is completed. His opinion will be extremely valuable.
What I took from it:
It was a very pleasant experience as the expert was exited about the project. Although he pointed out some limitations, he inspired me to explore other locations and to do more historical research.
Micky White, historian and photographer
(specialises in 18th century Venice)
23/6/2021 and 24/6/2021
I had two meetings with Micky to see if she could help me with Venetian history. Turns out she knows in great detail the topography of the city in 1745. For instance, she could tell me that, what is now a pharmacy, used to be a chemist and was also able to list me all the stalls and shops on the Rialto bridge and who owned them at the time.
She shared with me documents, some of them containing this information so that I can incorporate it in my tour. Indeed, it would be really nice to tell the tourists was used to be there and bring to life the 18th century Venetian everyday-life.
Arranging to meet (I knew her from before and we ran into each other a few days prior)
8/08/2021
As Micky is a Vivaldi specialist (she wrote Antonio Vivaldi. A life in documents and worked on BBC’s documentary Vivaldi’s Women) shetook me on a tour to show me various places where the composer and his family had lived. The aim was to see if I could include some of these anecdotes on my map. We went to three different locations, which I think are worth exploring further.
Herman Ho, game designer, 3D generalist, online tutor
5/07/2021
We had a 1 hour call to discuss my project, what sort of features I wanted for the game, what was the aim, the target etc.
The purpose of this was for him to get a good grasp of what I was trying to do and to assess how he could help. By the end he told me he would give me two tutorials to teach me how to use a game design software (Unity3d). It was a very positive interaction and he assured me that what I was planning could be done.
Us setting up a second lecture
10/07/2021
I had a three hour tutorial with Herman to learn how to use the Unity3d software, which is a platform to create digital interactive content.
We went over the basics, which felt like learning a new language. I will definitely need a lot of practice using it.
Screenshots from the lesson
Conclusion:
Using this software was very unfamiliar to me, which makes me a little nervous. I know that I will have to persevere if I want to create presentable. I also need to keep in mind that I have a limited amount of time to complete the project, which means that I should not be afraid to slightly simplify some concepts in order to make the work more manageable.
16/07/2021
In this second 3 hour tutorial, Herman taught me the basics of coding. With the method he showed how to create a button that you can press and the different user experiences he can have.
It was very interesting to get a glimpse of what hides behind any digital construct.
However, it was very challenging for me, especially since the lesson was online and it was difficult to follow what Herman was doing while trying to emulate him on my own device.
Screenshots from the lesson
Jesse Sigalov, software engineer:
14/07/2021
I contacted Jesse to know if creating an app that functions with geolocation could be possible. He confirmed to me that it could be done and that he could act as a consultant, trying do it himself and then showing me how to proceed.
He found that on Unity (the game design software that I use) there was a feature called interactive location API, which help you work with coordinates and build 3d models of the city.
The Screenshots shows the example he made with some London coordinates.
We then played around with the aesthetic possibilities, experimenting with colours and transparency. We also talked a little about how the geolocated spots would appear on the map: different coloured building, a 3D object or logo of some sort, bright spots etc.
14/10/2021
We had a meeting to talk about the development of the app as this expert is going to help me through the process. He had a look at the document I had prepared for him showcasing the app’s structure, features and design (more about this here).
We discussed what easily doable and what would take more time and I shared which screen pages were the most important (The map, the anecdote, the archive), in case we run out of time and cannot achieve everything. The aim is to have a prototype that can convey the spirit of the project efficiently. It is not the end of the world if not every single feature can be included.
I made a google drive with all the informations to be transferred onto the app and we made sure that everything was clear.
21/10/2021
We had another meeting to discuss progress. We mainly spoke about what tool to use to create the Venice map. We settled on a website called Mapbox (more here).
11/11/2021
In this meeting I was shown the final design of the map on the app with the icons I had designed to represent the 5 authentic experiences categories.
The engineer explained to me how to upload the remaining locations to the app through MapBox to speed the process and showed me showed me the finalised home page, which I had imagined. Everything is explained in more details in App design).
We also discussed a way to test the app without being in Venice. While the user is moving in their current location, the map on the app shows them moving through the streets of Venice, which is a fun and interactive way of conveying the function of the app.
18/11/2021
In this meeting we went over the progress, which was consequential. The anecdotes were added, and the home page finalised. It was lovely to see how the project is finally coming to life. More about this in App design.
19/11/2021-25/11/2021
We were able to finalise the visuals of the app, here are a few examples. For more got check out App design.
My 10 minutes presentation was very well received by my peers. They seem to have clearly understood the direction my project is taking and what the intervention was about.
The comment that stood out to me was about how can I improve my current intervention (mock up website) as it is already very detailed and targeted. My answer to this is that in the future I will plan interventions in the real world. For instance, I will directly test certain routes with stakeholders in Venice and not simply investigate whether they like the idea of the routes.
Later, once I have a more finalised product, I will be able to focus more on the vessel ie: website, app, or printed guide.
Tutor feedback:
Graphic-wise, the text could have been more clear, which I agree with, although the fact that I took screenshots may have impacted the definition of the image.
I sounded a little rushed while presenting, which affected the quality of the presentation.
I should Identify who are the makers and influential people in Venice. Fortunately, I am in contact with a few of them:
We are Here Venice (Venice preservation)
Venice Calls (Venice Preservation)
Head master of the Accademia di Belle Arti (art University)
Tour Guide
My tutor advised me to think about the downsides of gamification and to speak with experts in the field about them (a meeting with game designer has been scheduled for the following week).
Here are a few downsides:
Lacking the skills to create a digital vessel
Playing a game may distract from the city’s history
May cause inappropriate behaviour in places where respect must be shown (ex: church, museum)
May not interest older generations
Difficult to give the tour an appropriate timing in order to complete every task and see every location
May blur the boundary between reality and virtuality
Personal feedback from the recording:
We were advised to record our own presentations and process to a self-evaluation.
What went well:
I think the presentation was clear, well-structured and it contained all the points we had been asked to mention, with appropriate and engaging visual support.
What did not go well:
The overall flow of the presentation was disturbed by my frequent use of “hum so” and “and heu”. Furthermore, some stutters here and there could have been avoided if I had felt I little more secure about my presentation. Practicing a few more times would have definitely helped.
Transitions between a section to the next could have been smoother.
I looked quite a lot at my notes for security although I knew quite well what to say.
I intend to create a narrative-based experience to transform the cultural visits into an adventure, essentially gamifying the process of learning and authentically interacting with the city.
Tested research question:
How can gamification encourage anti-social day tourists to seek access to cultural institutions and under-explored areas of the city of Venice?
Index:
Initial ideas
Final Idea
Results
Particularly good feedback
Challenges
Initial ideas:
Initially, I thought I could write a script of the entire tour, which would have included history, art history, narrative…
However, I soon realised that such a format would have made difficult for stakeholders to engage with it. I feared it would look too much like a short novel and put people off from reading something too long. Furthermore, at this stage there are a few uncertainties that prevent me from writing a tour in detail. For instance, I still need to get some cultural institutions and artisans on board with the project. Without their support the route I am focusing on is temporary, everything can still change.
At some point I thought I could make a sort of documentary video with the script, showing videos and pictures of the locations but in the end I decided to opt for something easier to digest and more straight to the point.
Final Idea:
I decided to design a fake website that outlines my game idea.
The platform is called “Knights of Venice” (may still change) after the knights of the order of Saint Mark’s. This was the only knighthood in Venice and was dismantled when the Republic of Venice fell end of the 18th century.
Following research about tourist psychology, one the ways to make them respect the host location is to make them feel involved with it, like they are part of it as well. Therefore, making them knights of the city is a fun way of including them. Furthermore, Venetians may appreciate the resurfacing of the lost knighthood.
There are 5 main features in this fake website: Vision, About, Story, Routes, Homepage.
Home page:
Vision:
This is a quick outline of what the problem is: depopulation of the city, mass tourism, fragile infrastructure.
About:
Here is a quick outline of how the game works: follow the ghost of a murdered merchant, learn about the city’s history, find the clues to unveil a long kept secret, interact with the local to have a more authentic experience.
Story:
This section explains the narrative that the tour is following, what the aim of the game is. The tourists will be guided by the ghost of a murdered merchant in order to find a mysterious and powerful object.
Routes:
The user is presented with a number of route options.
The diamond route is the only developed one. Here are its five locations, each presented with a little summary.
Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo (the hidden gem)
Chiesa di San Zaccaria (the Church)
Palazzo Grimani (The Museum)
Sotoportego dei Preti (Venetian legend)
L’Artista Della Barbaria Venezia (mask artisan)
Results:
To gather feedback I created two different surveys each tailors to one specific type of stakeholder.
I got some really interesting results, some of it was delivered directly to me and not through the survey, especially for the Venetians (they preferred direct contact).
Examples of questions and answers:
Tourists:
Did the message of this project was clearly conveyed through the website?
Would you want to try this gamified tour if you were to visit Venice?
Which should be the vessel of this tour?
Some questions asked to locals:
Do you like the idea that some tourists would explore less mainstream/more private areas of the city?
If yes, do you think that getting Venetians involved in the game could improve local-tourist relations?
Overall, I had very positive and straightforward replies, which is very encouraging.
Particularly good feedback and advice:
Globally, this intervention was successful because I think it is going to make my project grow. There are a few pieces of feedback and advice, which I think will be particularly useful.
One of them is that the narrative of the tour guide could be a metaphor for what happened to Venice (the fact that it was sold to tourism) and that at the end of the game the tourists realise that the precious object they are looking for is not a small trinket but the entire city of Venice. The moral of the story will be that the city is a precious jewel that must be preserved. Consequently, it is a way to connect the story to the actual problem.
Then, another more practical comment was that from the fake website it was not clear enough that the tour was going to include real history and not only fiction, which is something I need to fix. There other details I should clarify, especially when it comes to the Knights of Venice, who they are and what role exactly they play in the game.
Some expressed that although they like the idea of tours, sometimes, they prefer getting lost instead. This is something I could think about. Maybe, the path they take to reach each location should be completely up to them and not to the game. Giving them a general idea of the way could be enough?
I was also adviced new locations to add to the tour such as:
San Giovanni e Paolo Church
Church San Francesco della Vigne
Vivaldi Church
The Arsenale district
Challenges:
This intervention was not perfectly executed and there are definitely things that could have gone better.
One thing that I found quite challenging is to get Venetians to engage with my interventions. Only 4 people in that group filled out compare to 14 in the tourist group survey. I understand now that they prefer giving feedback directly to me rather than through a survey. Furthermore, although I had selected locals that could speak english some may not have been as comfortable reading with large amounts of english text.
I predict that language barriers is going to be a big challenge for this project as I am more comfortable writing in english than in Italian. English is the universal language, which marries itself best with tourism, unfortunately, locals here in Venice are not always the best english speakers. A lot of translating work will have to be done.
When I started sending out the fake website pdf to my stakeholders I realised that I had made a mistake. I forgot to include the (About page), which explains how the game works. Fortunately, those who experienced the intervention without (About) still understood what the project was about but it does not change the fact that it created an inconsistency in how my stakeholders engaged with the intervention. Will be more careful in the future.
Here I display my research on certain art pieces and objects, which I would like to provide the history of, while possibly utilising them as vessels for clues within the game experience.
Index:
Madonna Enthroned with Child and Saint, by Giovanni Bellini
Pesaro Triptych, by Giovanni Bellini
Interesting anecdote about Gentile Bellini
Works cited
Madonna Enthroned with Child and Saint, by Giovanni Bellini
Bellini, G. (1505) Madonna Enthroned with Child and Saint [oil on panel] San Zaccaria Church, Venice.
(Goffen, 1990, pp170-175)
The gold mosaic of the semi-dome displays a decorative pattern of green leaves with touches of red and white, which capture the light of the environment.
An angel sits at the feet of Mary and Christ while playing the lyra. The saints are standing on both sides of the throne
The Church is open on both sides and the viewer is able to admire the landscape. It is very spacious with a lot of light entering from the left.
The side where the light is depicted in the painting coincides with where real light enters the church from the occident. This reinforces the effect that the virgin and child are always turned towards the light.
The sense of light and air, of volume and monumentality gives this composition an new nobility and harmony.
In this work, Bellini re-defines his concept of feminine beauty making the Madonna, Saint Lucia, and Caterina of Alessandria more graceful and slender compared to their preceding incarnations. The heads are smaller and more proportionate to their body.
They have a new 16th century elegance.
The women are saints and martyrs, which is why they hold a palm branch symbol of martyrdom. They offer Christ their suffering symbolised by Catharine’s wheel and Lucy’s crystal vase.
Like the other male saints, their gaze is lowered. The shadows on their faces is more charged around their eyes, which enhances their expressions and gives a more naturalistic feel to the painting as a whole. They underline the profoundness of the emotions especially with Saint Gerolamo.
This is also a way to involve the viewer with the scene: Saint Peter is looking directly at us.
Our psychological access to the altar passes through the gaze of the celestial door.
The elevated position of the Virgin and child is accentuated from the low point of view of the painting, from their gazes pointing down, from the inclination of the heads.
In Saint Zaccaria was celebrated Easter with a Ducal procession considered one of the most prestigious and significant civil rituals of the Republic.
Pesaro Triptych, by Giovanni Bellini
Bellini, G. (1488) Pesaro Triptych [oil on panel]. Basilica of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, Venice.
(Goffen, 1990, pp159-162)
In the central panel we can see the elevated Virgin and Child. On the right hand panel we have Saint Nicolò and Saint Pietro. On the left, Saint Benedetto and Saint Marco.
The inscription on the mosaic above Mary says: “ Certain door of heaven, guide my mind, direct my life, may my every action be entrusted to your care”
The gold frame was donated in 1478 by the children of Pietro Pesaro and Franceschina Tron in memory of the death of their mother that same year.
Pietro Pesaro and his children are honoured by the presence of their homonymous saint inside the (pala/dome?). Franceschina is remembered on the inscription of her tomb on the pavement before the altar. This tomb became a burial place for her descendants.
The Saints in the lateral panels are the communicators. Their space is accessible compared to the center piece. The side rooms represent the Pastophorion of a byzantine chapel.
(Pastophorion is one of two chambers within an early Christian and Eastern Christian church building used as sacristies)
This is where they keep the Eucharist before mass.
On the left panel we can notice a very thin strip of earth and sky. The light of this painting seems to be coming from one of these openings.
In this work, Bellini combines, whites, reds, balcks.
Mary’s tunic as Saint Benedict’s Bible contrast with the black garment of the saint, the read of the background brocade (rich fabric), Mary’s red tunic, the red of the saint to his right.
Piramidal gemometry, mary and pedestal
The composition is very harmonious
There is a sense of hope. Christ is turned towards Nicolo and Pietro to bless them. The latter being the homonymous saint of the dead father of the family Pesaro. He draws us in with his intense stair. We must join the scene and the reading of the bible
The text is the veneration of the immaculate Virgin. This establishes a relationship between the picture and who is watching. Here, salvation is offered by the scripture.
Interesting anecdote about Gentile Bellini:
(Zorzi, 1999, pp198)
Foreign Market fascinated by objet d’art produced by local artists. Sultan Mehmed II (Barbaric man who conquered Scutari, Negropont, Constantinople) was so intrigued by Venetian paintings that he invited Gentile Bellini to be a guest at his court. However, when he presented poor Bellini with the severed head of a salve in order to show him exactly how he wanted him to portray the decapitation of John the Baptist, the terrified artist accepted his farewell gift of a magnificent chain and promptly departed for Venice.
Polyptych of Saint Vincenzo Ferrer, by Giovanni Bellini:
Bellini, G. (1464-1470) Polyptych of Saint Vincenzo Ferrer [tempera]. Basilica Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Venice.
(I am most likely to use this painting in the tour as the where the other paintings are located will not appear.)
(Humfrey,1988, pp403-405)
The fundamental message was that access to the soteriological benefits of Christ’s self-sacrifice was to be gained above all through the meditation of Saint Vincenzo.
The three predella scenes focus on his powers as a miracle worker (thaumaturge).
This saint was regarded as a miracle healer, celebrated in the three scenes of the predella
It is no accident that he is flanked by the plagued saints Christopher and Sebastian..
Works cited:
Goffen, R. (1990) Giovanni Bellini. Milan: Federico Motta Editore. Second edition.
Humfrey, P. (1988) ‘Competitive Devotions: The Venetian Scuole Piccole as Donors of Altarpieces in the in the Years around 1500’, The Art Bulletin, Vol. 70, No. 3 , pp. 401-423 .
Zorzi, A. (1999) Venice 697-1797 A City, A Republic, An Empire. New York: The Overlook Press Peter Mayer Publisher, INC.
Identify what is the problem/niche/gap in the market
Indicate an area for potential -HOW by creating and testing
Never assumer that people know what you are talking about so must be very clear
Write description of the question
What-Why-How:
What = the question
Why = personal and professional motivations
How = Ex: I will use humour and design to create an artefact intervention
Original question:
How can I make unprofitable mass tourists behave more like cultural tourists to promote sustainable tourism in Venice?
My own feedback on my question:
The terms: (unprofitable, cultural tourists, sustainable) lack clarity. It is clear in my head what they refer to but, for instance, not everyone is aware of the characteristics of a cultural tourist.
The terms “sustainable” is also very unclear as it can englobe many significations including environmental , which is not something i am exploring. This can lead to confusion.
Tutor’s feedback:
I am merging two ideas in this question:
Behaviour and Financial
Then, to clarify my thoughts it would be a good idea to create two different questions, each focusing one of these aspects of tourism. They may organically come back together. Moreover, some of this information could end up in the HOW.
I should look at models and examples of heritage preservation and see how they were successful or not.
Peer feedback:
I am assuming that all mass tourists are unprofitable and all cultural tourists profitable.
I think to clarify this i need to further define what I mean by “unprofitable”, which is mainly financial. It is a key characteristics of Cultural tourists that they spend a significant amount of money in the host location, hence they are always more “profitable” than “unprofitable” mass tourists.
I need to make it clear that I am targeting a specific group of unprofitable mass tourists (the day tourists).
However, i do not quite agree with the statement that I assume that all mass tourists are unprofitable as I specify that I am targeting “unprofitable” mass tourists.
Improving the question:
I separated the two themes that I was merging in the original question (tourist behaviour and financial profit) and wrote a new question for each.
Financial:
How can I make financially unprofitable day tourists more profitable in Venice?
Behaviour:
How can I make day tourists pay more attention to deserted areas of the city and cultural institutions?
When I was found with these two versions I felt a little stuck as since my projects encompasses the two sides, I was not sure which direction to take. My peers made me realise that focusing on behaviour was probably more appropriate because the financial benefit will be a side effect of bringing more life to cultural institutions and under-explored areas of the city. Additionally, it sounds less brutal and money-focused to avoid putting finances at the center of the conversation.
Once I knew which direction to take i started refining the question and making it more compatible with my intervention (a gasified tour experience). Therefore, I thought it was key to include the word gamification as it what I am trying to test.
Updated question:
How can gamification encourage day tourists to seek access to cultural institutions and under-explored areas of the city of Venice?
Description:
The aim of this study is to use gamification to encourage day tourists, the most invasive and least profitable tourist group in Venice, to drift off from the crowded and unauthentic tourist routes and discover under-explored areas of the city to augment financial profitability and overall city well-being.
Since I am trying to develop a tour guide, I need to have a really good understanding of Venice’s history. This section contains general historical facts about Venice and about the specific location I have decided to include on my tour. I will be using some of these historical facts to feed the fictional narrative of the tour.
Index:
The beginning of Venice
Commerce and Industry
War, trade and enemies
Venice’s marriage to the sea
Interesting fact about the Venetian language
Facades and Party tradition
Carnival
Convent Theatre
Works cited
The Beginning of Venice:
The first conquerors of the territory were the Venetes, which originated from the black sea and, which gave their name to the region.Then came the Romans followed by the Byzantines, which heavily influenced the Venetians. After freeing themselves from Constantinople (8th century), they put in place the Republique of the Serenissima. (Bertolazzi, 2006, pp22)
Doge used to be dictator-like but beginning 1032, he became more of a magistrate elected for life. (González De Lara, 2008, pp251)
Venice was the most stable Republic in history as it survived 1100 (Mille cent) years. The economic rise of Venice was based on the expansion of trade along the Mediterrrenean and beyond.Most profitable trade was in oriental luxuries, which came from the Byzantine empire, the Crusader States and Alexandria (they called these territories Romania). (Bertolazzi, 2006, pp13-28)
A commercial round-trip from Venice to the East took 6 to 9 months. (González De Lara, 2008, 252)
Commerce and Industry:
(Zorzi, 1999, pp190)
Industry primarily involved the Manufacturing of salt, glass, wool and the sale of timber
Also iron ore, which came from the mines of Styria and Carinthia. These good were sent to Byzantium and the Moslem Orient in exchange for luxury goods.
One of these goods were spices, which were just as important as salt. Widely used to improve the taste of food but also to create the modern day equivalent of alcoholic beverages.
In the Middle ages and 16th century slaves were bought and sold in Venice. Mainly Russians and Tartars. Sold in mass to the Muslims but Venetians also bought them as domestic workers and farmhands.
War, trade, and enemies:
(UNESCO)
Venice was strategically positioned as it was within reach of the Byzantine Empire and traders from the Near East.
Founded in the 5th century AD it became a maritime power in the 9th century
11th century, military missions were sent out to subdue the pirates that threatened maritime trade from their strongholds alond the Dalmatian coast
The city grew in power and importance after the sack of Constantinople by crusading forces in 1204, a campaign that was orchestrated by the Venetians, now wholly independent from the empire.
During this time they established links that reached as far as the Mongol Empire and Perisa and Armenia, the Caucasus and Asia Minor.
Trade treaty between Venice and the Mongol Empire was established in 1221.
Example of products:
Salt
Grain
Porcelain
Pearl
From Egypt, Asia Minor and Far East:
Gems
Mineral dyes
Peacock feathers
Spices
Textiles (silks, cottons, brocades)
By the end of the 13th century it was one of the most prosperous cities in Europe
Intermittent war with Genoa, another independent city state with trading ambitions, was a feature of much of the 12th and 13th centuries,it was the maritime strength of the Ottoman Turks that would eventually weaken the Venetian hold on the Mediterranean and break their monopoly in the 17th century, ushering in a new era of competition for the control of trade between Europe and the east.
Venice’s marriage to the sea:
(UNESCO)
The close relationship between the city and the sea was vital in this development, as symbolized in the Sposalizio del Mare, or Marriage to the Sea, a ceremony established sometime in the early Middle Ages, whereby the Doge (the city’s ruler) sailed out into the Adriatic, surrounded by a procession of boats, and offered prayers. From the late 12th century, this became more elaborate, and the tradition was established that the Doge should also throw a ring into the water, signifying the marriage of the city to the sea.
Interesting fact about the Venetian language:
(Zorzi, 1999, pp198)
Half of the spoken vocabulary in Greece is pure Venetian. Almost the entire navifational terminology comes from Venetian. (orza, molla, drizza, finestrino)
Stories about Venetian objects and Constantinople: (Venice 697-1797 A City, A Republic, An Empire)
(These anecdotes could help me decide what mysterious object the tourists will be looking for and also embellish the narrative of the tour).
The Jewellery supplier of Suleiman II (was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1687 to 1691) was Francesco Zen, the Bailo of Constantinople (diplomat who oversaw the affairs of the Republic of Venice in Constantinople). Zen persuaded the Sultan to buy a gold ring with a repeating watch, and fabulous jewel-incrusted helmet.
A daring Turkish admiral called Ulugh Ali who was planning his revenge after miraculously surviving the battle of Leponato, ordered a precious jewel case for his woman from the goldsmith Battista Rizzoletti, whose shop was located on the Rialto under the sign of Jesus. However, by the time the jewel arrived in Constantinople in 1598, the admiral had already passed away.
Façades and Party tradition:
(Muir, 1979, pp18)
In Venice, the most important door is the one that opens to the Grand Canal. This displays an obsession with fine appearances and outward show.
The face so important that the facades facing the canal contrast with the side of the buildings (less public parts). Outward beauty sign of inward virtue (Renaissance belief, rhetorical grace and Neoplatonic belief)
*
(Vircondelet, 2008, pp11)
There is a strong party tradition. The 18th century, during Venice’s decline was the time where they partied the most.
Travellers, poetrs, artists, discribbed the customs, the parties, the processions, the fairs.
During its decline, having extravagant parties was a way to trick Venetians into an illusion of glory and later to attract the first tourists. Venice also stood out for its parties, even in the middle ages.
The Carnival:
(Vircondelet, 2008, pp17)
The Carnival is mentioned in documents as far as the 10th century under the reign of doge Vital Florier. It is probably the their contact with the orient that gave the Venetians this taste for fastuous parties.
It lasted 6 months! Started in October, ended on the carême only paused by Christmas.
The official start was the 26 December for Saint-Étienne. Combination of a pagan feast and the religious cult.
(theatre performances, games, street shows, private performances)
In parallel a counter carnival was happening. Religion organised procession and acts of penitence to incite Venetians to repent instead of indulging in debauchery. But was not greatly successful.
The masks were extremely important as during the festivities people from any social class became equals and partied together.
The mask, generalised in the 18th century was mandatory. It allowed anyone to participate to the feasts and enter private parties etc.
Social equality and transgression:
(Vircondelet, 2008, pp18)
The most popular disguise (which allowed for the most anonymity), is the lavara (most popular mask) white and the rest of the face covered by a balck silk vail. Black hat and a tabarro (traditional black cape)
Convent Theatre:
(Scippa Bhasin, 2014, pp19-21)
During a carnival season merchant Giovanni Battista brought his concubine on the island of Maddalena Farner Giudecca to see a comedy performed at the convent of Santa Maria Maddalena.
It was home to repentant prostitutes (founded in 1530). Accepted women who wanting to escape and expiate their lives in the sex trade
Covents in Venice accused of many theatrical infractions:
Performing in their parlours for outsiders
Selecting plays that were more secular than religious
Borrowing draperies and costumes
Acting secular female characters in jewels and costumes
Cross-dressing as secular and religious men.
By age 7 young girls were offered up with substantial monastic dowries in hand, so that a sister could be married off (by way of an even larger matrimonial dowry) to a advantageous match.
Very common practice in Venice.
Which is why the nuns were less pious and indulged in public-performance tradition.
Works Cited:
Bertolazzi, A. (2006) “Au-Dessus De Venise” En vol sur la Sérénissime et la Vénitie. Vercelli: Editions White Star.
González De Lara, Y. (2008) ‘The secret of Venetian success: a public-order, reputation-based institution’, European Review of Economic History, Vol. 12, No. 3, pp. 247-285.
Muir, E. (1979), ‘Images of Power: Art and Pageantry in Renaissance Venice’, The American Historical Review, Vol. 84, No. 1, pp. 16-52.
Perry, M. (1977), ‘Saint Mark’s Trophies: Legend, Superposition, and Archaeology in Renaissance Venice’, Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, Vol. 40, pp. 27-49.
The city of Venice is decaying and losing its culture. The inhabitant population of the city has dramatically dropped because the city is becoming unliveable.
One of the factors for this is, is mass tourism, which is where I would like to introduce change.
I propose to change the unbeneficial habits of the most unprofitable group of tourists (the strollers) for them to become more sustainable and, more apt to support Venice’s dying culture.
Provisional question:
How can I make unprofitable mass tourists behave more like cultural tourists to promote sustainable tourism in Venice?
WHY:
Being part Venetian I was able to witness first-hand how Venice has changed for the worst. Its culture and infrastructure are threatened. Residents live in fear of seeing their home being turned into a Disneyland.
Venice’s exceptional topography, geographic location, culture and history make it irreplaceable, universal even.
Residents and tourists should be able to experience the best version of Venice. It is meant to be shared with the world as long as it is done respectfully and not to the detriment of the locals.
HOW:
I will gamify the tourist experience to transform the cultural visit into an adventure. Having tourists trailing off from the packed tourists routes and spending time in cultural institutions and deserted areas of the city will help them being more sustainable.
Stage 1:
to best understand how to operate the project I have created surveys each targeting a different group: the venetians, people who have been to Venice and people who have not yet been to Venice.
To create a tourist experience I need to learn about Venice’s history, researching five main categories: museums, churches, artisans, legends and hidden gems.
I aim to have a group of strollers experience one of each.
Stage 2:
I will have to speak to professionals, especially in tourism and gamification. I am already in contact with a few such as a specialised private tour guide and I have been sending out emails to more experts in tourism and gamification.
I will need to contact cultural institutions for them to become involved. They will become part of the narrative and will interact with the tourists.
I hope to finish this stage by June.
Stage 3:
This stage will involve creating a prototype of the gamified tourist tour experience, and then testing it with my stakeholders.
More minor interventions will follow over the summer.
Stage 4:
Motivate a group of strollers to visit 3 cultural sights (if possible, off the beaten track):
A museum/gallery
A Church
And an Artisan shop
WHAT IF:
This research is of value to the tourists as they will have an experience outside the carefully manufactured and unauthentic tourist routes.
It will benefit the Venetians as the project will encourage a more sustainable and responsible tourism, which would give back to the city and, therefore, improve Venetians’ quality of life. Finally, this research could also inspire other locations plagued by mass tourism to follow a similar process of gamification.
To gamify the tourist tour experience would ideally help motivate the day tourists to drift away from the packed tourist routes and to visit cultural institutions (which they tend not to do).
What is Gamification?
the application of typical elements of game playing (e.g. point scoring, competition with others, rules of play) to other areas of activity
I will try to apply these elements to this tour of Venice
There are 3 basic psychological needs that make a good game:
The choice that people make and why they make them
Competence
The ability to be challenged appropriately
Challenge that matches our skill level
Not too easy that it becomes boring and not too difficult that we become anxious
Relatedness
Our connection and support with others
4 additional elements:
Goals
Rules
Challenge/conflict
Feedback
Interesting Ted talks on the subject:
The Power of Gamification in Education | Scott Hebert | TEDxUAlberta. 2018
Gamification to improve our world: Yu-kai Chou at TEDxLausanne
Thoughts:
These are all things I must think about to create an engaging and interactive experience.
A clear goal that you’re working towards
The tourists will be trying to solve a murder while looking for a mysterious cursed object (to be determined).
Clear progress towards completing that goal
They will have to follow the clues, each sending them to the next with the possibility to speak with a local involved in the the game. Help will be found in the cultural institutions.
Clear and immediate feedback to tell you how you are doing
This is a point I still need to work on. The app may recognise when a clue has been found and showcase supportive messages
A balance of challenge and skill
Observation, attention to detail and patience will be the skills necessary in order to complete the game.
QR Codes:
I thought of the possibility of creating non-invasive QR codes as a way for people to move on in the game Ex: scanning the QR code will unlock a riddle that must be solved. It could also show the image of an object that must be found. The possibilities are endless
Helpful Apps:
This app allows users to create their own scavenger hunts, this could be a nice way to test the idea before designing my own app:
This is another way of making the game interactive, although slightly more complicated.
It is the science and technology of obtaining reliable information about physical objects and the environment through the process of recording, measuring and interpreting photographic images and patterns of electromagnetic radiant imagery and other phenomena.
The idea would be to integrate virtual objects to the tour in order for the tourists to get a sense of what is no longer there (Ex: a statue, a wall, a pillar etc). It can also be used to support the narrative by adding what would look like magical elements.
The problem is that the apps that provide this tool only work with LIDAR, which can only be found in the newer iPhones.
A way around this problem would be to use models that have already been made:
TEDx Talks (2018) The Power of Gamification in Education | Scott Hebert | TEDxUAlberta. May 7 2018. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOssYTimQwM (Accessed: May 15 2021)
I am still unsure how to balance an individual’s experience with the one of the group. On the one hand, I want to offer the individual the best experience they can get, unlike the massive tour groupes where usually the bigger gainers are the ones at he front. The ones at the back only get glimpses of the conveyed information.
This uncertainty comes from choosing the right vessel for the project. So far, three main options seem plausible: a real tour guide, a printed tour, an app.
Although an app is particularly compatible with the project, it is difficult to offer something authentic while heavily relying on technology. The point is not to have people walking around the city with their eyes fixated on their phones. The aim is to create an immersive exploration of the city.
One of the ways I thought I could balance this is by having audio recordings of a character, which would help the users interact with the space while absorbing information without having to look at their phone.
This leads to question whether I have the skills and time to develop an app, as simple and practical as the final product may be.
Communicating the project to others:
Another thing that I find difficult is finding the words to simply but effectively explain the project to somebody else. Fear of judgement is always present. I especially fear communicating with Venetians as their opinion on my attempt to relieve some of the pressure of mass tourism is very important to me.
It is all about finding the right method to get people exited about the project.
As I plan to gammify parts of the city of Venice I need to be very familiar with its geography, identifying the areas that are empty of tourists, which have interesting locations to visit. These will help me build the tour routes.
There are various categories, each tour will contain one of each.
Churches (purple cross)
Artisans (orange heart)
Museums (blue temple)
Legends (green star)
Hidden Gems (red square)
Tour guide’s suggestions (yellow markers)
Map by Olimpia Loredan
Tour guide suggestions:
I reached out to Marco Loredan, founder of The Venice Experience. It is a travel agency that specialises in the organisation of conferences, visits of villas, palaces, gardens and historical cellars that are not open to the public in Venice and on the mainland. www.thevenicexperience.com
All the yellow pointer on the maps were his suggestions of special places off the beaten track. He helped enrich my routes and discover new places.
Email exchange:
Possible Routes:
(Left side of the Gran Canal)
Emerald (990 m)
Palazzo Ca’ Zenobio
(Find a hidden Gem)
Legatoria Polliero Venezia
Frari Basilica
Scuola Grande San Giovanni Evangelista di Venezia (scary light)
Onyx (size 1, 42 km)
Ca’ Rezzonico
Frari Basilica
Scuola Grande San Giovanni Evangelista di Venezia (scary light)
Sergio Boldrin (masks)
Santa Maria Mater Domini (Cute square)
Amber (size 1, 35km)
Palazzo Mocenigo
Scuola Grande San Giovanni Evangelista di Venezia (scary light)
Frari Basilica
Sergio Boldrin (masks)
Santa Maria Mater Domini (Beautiful square)
(Right of the Gran Canal)
Diamond (size 2, 22 km)
Hidden Gem (Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo) really cool stair case
Chiesa di San Zaccaria
Palazzo Grimani
Sotoportego dei Preti (the legend of the mermaid)
L’Artista Della Barbaria Venezia (masks)
This particular route seems to be the most promising at the moment. I need to research in depth each of the locations.
Field research, Diamond route:
20/06/ 2021
Here I document the Diamond route, its positive aspects and challenges. By the end of this field research I had made up my mind that I had to redesign the itinerary completely.
I started the day like any other person starts the day in Venice, by getting lost. Although I am half Venetian and have spent various holidays in the city I still lack a true local’s knowledge of the streets.
For each stop on the route I wrote some bullet points in my notebook (positive and negative attributes of the locations). I took pictures to document the route and for inspiration for the narration and history of the guide.
Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo:
The little campo is a good place to gather and start the game
Tickets can be booked to visit the inside
The area in front of it can get a little crowded (just because the space is narrow)
The place is not too crowded, however, there are fewer tourists at the moment than there would normally be at this time of year
It is hidden away in an unassuming location, which enhances the surprise when one finds it as it is beautiful.
Photographs by Olimpia Loredan
Chiesa di San Zaccaria:
The Square where the church is situated is quiet and spacious
However, one has to walk through very touristy areas to get to it, which is something I am trying to avoid
The entrance porch to the square is beautiful
The façade of the church is inspiring
The older wing of the church is romantic and inside a little garden
The entrance is free but one must pay to visit the crypt, which is a unique feature of this church (it floods with lagoon water)
It contains paintings by Giovanni Bellini, and Tintoretto
Photographs by Olimpia Loredan
Chiesa di San Giorgio dei Greci:
Although this stop was not originally part of the tour, I decided to explore it, as Francesco (previous intervention stakeholder) had advised me to include it. Plus it is only 5 minutes away from the previous location.
Very private and peaceful
Spacious
Places to sit and trees
Got attacked by mosquitos
CCTV
(did not explore the inside as it was closed)
Photographs by Olimpia Loredan
Sotoportego Dei Preti (legend location):
It is very far away from the other stops
From there, we need to retrace our steps in order to reach the next stop (not very interesting and counter productive)
Located in a more quiet area of the city, which is nice
Photographs by Olimpia Loredan
L’Artista Della Barbaria(artisanal masks):
This stop sadly shows how much Venice was hit by the Covid crisis as the shop had recently closed when I found it. This was the only artisanal boutique that I could find online in that neighbourhood, which made me panic a little. Fortunately, while walking to the next stop I stumbled upon two other artisan boutiques, which had never appeared online. What they do is beautiful and they are very open to talk about their craft.
Photographs by Olimpia Loredan
Palazzo Grimani:
By the campo Santa Maria Formosa, which is in a very authentic area.
It is the side of Venice that I want to show: more private but just as beautiful.
I did not go in, lack of time but will visit it next time.
Photographs by Olimpia Loredan
Conclusion:
In conclusion, thanks to this field research and to the intervention that followed (I tested the route with a tourist stakeholder, see here) I realised that most of these locations were either too distant from each other or surrounded by tourist routes. Thus, I decided to redesign it completely based on my newly acquired knowledge and the feedback and advice from my stakeholders and experts.
Creating a New route:
24/06/2021
Following my previous intervention (25/05/2021) where I tested the diamond route with a stakeholder (more information here), and following various conversations with experts, I decided to draw a new itenerary in the Castello district. This time I would make sure to avoid any tourist routes and to offer a very special itinerary.
After walking around the district numerous times and taking into consideration what stakeholder Francesco Loredan had advised me to add to the itinerary I came up with a new alternative.
The church Santa Maria dei Miracoli
Legend at the Saint Mark’s Scuola
The Church San Giovanni e Paolo
Artisans
Church San Francesco della Vigna
Palazzo Grimani
There are more stops than in my previous tours because the area is very rich in culture.
Route Variations:
Version 1:
The church Santa Maria dei Miracoli
Legend at the Saint Mark’s Scuola
The Church San Giovanni e Paolo
Church San Francesco della Vigna
Artisans
Palazzo Grimani
As I was testing the itinerary, I wondered which route I should take from San Francesco della Vigna to the Artisans. I went on a little exploration and found a very scenic way to reach it (From D to E on the map). Furthermore, from A to B is fruit of an exploration of mine, it avoids completely the main road. I even stumbled upon a palace where some scenes of the film Casanova (2007) were shot.
Palace in Casanova
Photographs by Olimpia Loredan
However, I discovered something very surprising while walking under the embellished underpass displayed above. It had ben restored by the international association of the “Cavalieri di San Marco” or “the Knights of San Marco”. This is problematic, as I was not aware that a group of people had resurrected the order and was planning to use their name in the game. I may just have to invent my own knighthood.
Photograph by Olimpia Loredan
Version 2 (lagoon path):
This version is structured like the previous one except that the path to the D stop runs along the lagoon where there is a very good view of the island of San Michele, Venice’s cemetery. I added this alternative because two experts and some other locals had mentioned that the lagoon was Venice’s best feature.
Photograph by Olimpia Loredan, Island of San Michele
Version 3:
This one has a slightly different structure as it ends with San Francesco della vigna instead of with Palazzo Grimani.
Version 4 (short):
I also designed a shorter tour in case the other one ended up being too long. The church San Francesco della Vergine was removed.
Other:
I used to have a version of this route which included the palazzo del Cammello, which had a very interesting story attached to it but it turned out that it was located in a completely different district. In Venice, Google maps is not always reliable.
Visual documentation of the stops:
San Giovanni e Paolo Church:
Photographs by Olimpia Loredan
Scuola di San Giovanni (legend):
Photographs by Olimpia Loredan
Santa Maria dei Miracoli:
Photographs by Olimpia Loredan
San Francesco della Vigna:
Photographs by Olimpia Loredan
Artisan Shops:
Papier Mâché
Photographs by Olimpia Loredan
Schegge:
Photographs by Olimpia Loredan
Palazzo Grimani:
Photographs by Olimpia Loredan
Choosing a different Venetian Legend:
5/07/2021
I want to include a Venetian legend to the tour. I used to have settled on a legend attached to the Scuola di San Marco’s entrance, as one can notice strange carvings of ships and of a levantine holding a heart. However, I realised that it would not be practical as it would involve getting very close to the entrance, which is guarded by security guards, and may create congestion.
Luckily, I soon realised that there was another legend already located in the route under the sottoportego della Corte Nova. Indeed, there is an unusual red stone.
The New legend:
Rumour has it that in 1630 a woman named Giovanna, who lived in the Sestiere di Castello, had a vision of the Madonna who recommended her, that to overcome the plague to paint a painting representing her image together with Saints Rocco, Sebastian, and Justina. To exhibit it on the wall of the Sotoportego della Corte Nova. The district was untouched by the disease. And the plague disappeared. The painting also disappeared. But one red stone came to be. It is believed that the plague has sunk into it.
Some Venetians avoid stepping on the stone because it is considered a bearer of misfortune but others think it as a bringer of money and love.
When we were told to choose something that worries us, I immediately knew that I wanted to do something revolving around Venice. Many aspects of the city interested me such as the rise of sea levels, mass tourism, or the loss of culture.
Indeed, the city of Venice is rapidly decaying. The population of the city has dramatically dropped with only 51.000 residents left compared with 174 000 in 1951. Since I am part Venetian I was able to witness first-hand how much the city has changed for the worst. Speaking to residents, boutique owners and artisans it is clear that the city is becoming less and less liveable.
Part 2:
Through surveys targeting Venetians and conversations with professionals such as the founder of an organisation fighting for the preservation of the city, I came to see that I could have a bigger impact on tourism and culture than on the problem of global warming.
An important factor of this deterioration is the unprofitable and unregulated mass tourism that crowds the streets. Many visitors only come for the day, walk around the city, buy a cheap souvenir, leave their trash and vacate the city. Therefore, many tourists experience a minuscule percentage of what the city can offer and do not contribute to its cultural preservation as very little money is spent in museums, artisan shops, and some areas of the city are unbearably crowded.
Part 3: “There is no other way to explore Venice than as one the herd.” (Duncan Fallowell)
I decided that I wanted to introduce change in the way tourists experience the city of Venice, targeting the less profitable ones. The aim would be to promote more sustainable tourism that would support Venice’s dying culture. A way to bring to life the disappearing corners of the city by unblocking some unbearably congested tourist routes.
After further secondary research, I found that there were three main types of tourists in Venice: The lodgers, the cruisers, and the strollers. I decided to focus on the latter as they are the ones forming the mass (representing 80 % of tourists) and are the least beneficial to the city. The strollers only come for the day, stress infrastructure, block some parts of the city, spend very little and leave their waste.
Tourists stay on these well defined lines where you will find most commercial activities like retail and souvenir shops
This tourist group would become a stakeholder because the project would help them have a better, more authentic experience of the city. Venetians would also benefit from this a more sustainable and responsible tourism would be encouraged, thus, improving Venetians’ quality of life and helping the preservation of their culture.
Part 4:
Tourism is important to the city and brings many benefits, but it has to be better managed.
Many academics and researchers believe that cultural tourism is the way to keep a good place in the competitive tourism market while improving the local well-being. They are the ones visiting cultural institutions, trying the traditional foods, buying quality local products and spending the night in the host location.
In Venice, this group is what brings most to the city although they are the smallest one. Consequently, I thought that it would be interesting to try to transform these stroller tourists into sort of cultural tourists.
Mocenigo Palace-Museum. (undated) Venezia il Museo di Palazzo Mocenigo. Available at: https://mocenigo.visitmuve.it(Accessed: April 7 2021)
In order to appeal to tourists, I needed to understand what they are looking for. A few key elements stood out: authenticity, control over what they experience, engagement, interactivity, active sensory experiences.
The next stage was to combine these elements to captivate the strollers.
Part 5:
I decided that I would create my own Venice guide, which would be to incite the tourists to do something they would not have done on their own or with a standard guide.
It would be interesting to create a story-based guide, something that would make it fun and engaging to pay a ticket to visit an exhibition. This aims to create an adventure. Creating a route, involving three cultural sites, that people have to follow to unravel a story/mystery, while learning about the city’s history.
Success for me would be to motivate a group of strollers to visit 3 cultural sights (if possible, off the beaten track):
A museum/gallery
A Church
An artisan shop
I could get the artisans and cultural institutions involved to support the narrative of the guide and to get the tourists to interact with the locals playfully, and find authenticity in their experience.
To get a better idea of the competition and to find inspiration, I researched the types of guides that could be found in Venice. There are few elements that these guides feature, which would be good to keep in mind for the project:
Maps
History and art history of the city
Artisans and small boutiques
Sometimes unusual corners of the city
The point would be to encourage the tourists to do something they would not have done on their own or with another guide.
