In and Out of Boundspart 2

venice bound


In and Out of Bounds is a two-part ambitious cross-cultural, crossgenerational arts project that connects two seemingly distant but conceptually linked landscapes: the New Forest in the UK and Venice, in Italy. Through the lens of four commissioned artists and their collaborative work with community groups, the project explores how these two iconic places act as living museums - shaped by history, human stewardship, and constructed beauty - while grappling with complex questions of tourism, opportunities, heritage, and environmental pressures. The first part of In and Out of Bounds was named Forest Bounds and ended in an exhibition at spudWORKS.

Both the New Forest and Venice are bounded places, environments sustained through careful management yet vulnerable to overuse, neglect, and demographic shifts. This project seeks to explore their shared stories while giving voice to underrepresented communities, connecting local concerns to international conversations.

We are now Venice Bound, taking our research, discussions, artworks and ideas, generated in and with various Forest communities, to the amplified stage of the Venice Biennale 2026 - In Minor Keys.  As in this year’s biennale title there are soulful undertones to all the work here. The multiple projects are continuing to develop, now with the added questions that come with a global audience and the second bounded community of The Island. Cultural diversity, personal wayfaring, age and interventional ecology have direct parallels of melancholy or shortfalls we have already identified in the history, population and fabric of Venice. Now, how can we promote, give voice to, and share this evolving body of information in at the oldest art show in town? And perhaps find a few major cords in the search for positive ways forward. The project aims to:
  • Support local artists and community groups from the New Forest in developing skills, creating new work, and gaining exposure on an international platform

  • Offer meaningful creative opportunities to young people and marginalised groups in the New Forest, many of whom have limited access to cultural experiences

  • Create visibility for underrepresented voices, by showing work by artists and communities from the New Forest in Venice