Venice Biennale 1970: Ricerca e Progettazione

My paper focuses on the history of the first computer art show held at the Venice Biennale in 1970 and its political and social context. I propose to consider the 1970 Venice Biennale as a reflection of the global changes in the art world that happened in the late 1960s in response to technological developments. As I would argue, the 35^th Venice Biennale, opened in June 1970, represented a fundamental step for the Biennale in the long journey towards the acceptance of new media art. Compared to previous events, the 1970 show represented an example that stood out for its aims, approach and programme. The opening of the 1970 Venice Biennale was followed, a few months later, by the opening of “Software - Information Technology”, curated by artist and critic Jack Burnham and held at the Jewish Museum in Brooklyn, New York City. This and other events such as the Tendencies 4 exhibition in Zagreb and the First Nuremberg Biennale, both held in 1969, provide the context to discuss how technology brought to the Biennale a new wave of creativity, but at the same time an element of destabilisation to the traditional asset of the art institution. My paper will consider the 1970 Biennale to discuss to what extent new media art influenced the Biennale’s original curatorial model. What consequences did art & technology bring about to the Biennale in terms of curatorial practice? How did the new curatorial model evolve after 1970?