VOICE OF COMMONS
A project by UNLESS
a movement to give a voice and a vote to our global commons
ANTARCTICA
THE OCEAN
THE ATMOSPHERE
OUTER SPACE

About

“Voice of Commons” (VoC) is a broadcasting project focused on our Global Commons and their existential role in securing the stability of the planetary ecosystem.

VoC aims to give a Voice to the Global Commons: to Antarctica, the Ocean, the Atmosphere and Outer Space. Without a Voice, the Commons don’t have a vote. While these diverse systems, located beyond national jurisdictions and belonging to humankind at large, are geographically distinct they form interconnected ecological networks that ensure the equilibrium and resilience of our Earth system for future generations. At a time when a polycrisis (environmental, social and political) VoC creates an empowering, democratic conversation space, exploring the potential of the Radio, and its contemporary counterpart, the Podcast. The archive of recorded conversations will be accessible via podcast and will be later edited in the form of a publication. VoC is rooted in Venice, a city that risks oblivion due to the sea level rise induced by anthropogenic climate change. Mobilising Venice’s unique media-power VoC decisively turns the spotlights from the Lagoon onto the Planet and beyond. Within Venice, VoC will broadcast from the Biennale ticket office designed by Carlo Scarpa in 1952, restored and reactivated for the occasion as a dynamic broadcasting hub. From May to November 2025, the VoC will be broadcasting from Venice and travel globally to international climate-fora. A signed petition calling for an official representation of the Commons at COP will be presented at COP30 in Brazil, marking a first, concrete action promoted collectively by VoC.

Podcast

A podcast challenging governance models and amplifying global voices to ignite action for the protection and recognition of the Global Commons.

Broadcasting from Venice – a city on the climate frontlines – Voice of Commons is a new podcast amplifying the voices of our Global Commons: Antarctica, the Ocean, the Atmosphere, and Outer Space. As we approach the 1.5°C threshold set by the Paris Agreement, destabilised Commons are triggering rising seas, mass displacement, and increasing ecological and geopolitical instability – yet they remain voiceless in global governance. They have no representation, no voice, and no vote in decisions shaping our collective future. Voice of Commons aims to change that.

Launched as a Special Project of La Biennale di Venezia and led by architect and activist Giulia Foscari, founder of UNLESS, Voice of Commons challenges existing governance models by building a transdisciplinary platform at the intersection of art, science, policy, and technology. Through conversations hosted by Giulia Foscari with global changemakers – from Sylvia Earle to Christiana Figueres, Johan Rockström, and Kumi Naidoo – the podcast fosters Global Commons literacy, sparks imagination for just and sustainable futures, and calls to action for intergenerational justice.

Part of a broader global advocacy initiative, the podcast is joined by the Speak-Up for the Commons campaign – inviting grassroots participation – and a Petition calling for the legal and political recognition of the Commons and the establishment of a Global Commons Assembly.

All are catalysed from the Voice of Commons’ Planetary Embassy in Venice, where each day representatives from Indigenous communities, nation-states, or stateless nations take the stage to lend their voices to the Commons – building, together, a planetary Constituency to ensure a safe and operating space on Planet Earth for All-kind.

Dialogues

During the Vernissage of the Biennale architettura 2025 the Planetary Embassy hosts a dense Programme of conversations featuring Human and Non-Human Voices from the Past, Present and Future.

The curated series of dialogues on the Global Commons highlight the ways in which each Common contributes (by itself and by interacting with the other spheres) to securing a Holocene-like safe state for humanity within the Earth system, delving in deep-dives on the environmental risks associated with crossing the tipping points of the respective planetary boundaries.
Furthermore, the thought-provoking set of interviews will offer an unprecedented comparative analysis on the governance models of the Commons: visionary yet fragile legislative systems that rely on international treaties, protocols, and policies entrusted to manage shared resources, infrastructures and data.

Speak up

Hear from scientists, activists, policymakers, and indigenous leaders as they share insights, challenges, and solutions for protecting the planet’s most vital resources.

This is an open call to "We the Peoples"—a call to unite in defending our shared Global Commons. With over eight billion of us calling this fragile planet home, we seek amplifiers — visionary change-makers who can turn this call into a movement. If you live on this Planet, you belong in this conversation. Whether you safeguard traditions, fight for justice, create, lead, grow, build, or explore—your voice matters. The Global Commons need all of us. Add your voice.
Your words will take center stage at the Venice Biennale! By contributing to this call, your voice will be broadcasted globally from Voice of Commons’ Planetary Embassy in Venice. Over the 198 days of the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, the Planetary Embassy will represent each day a different nation-state, stateless nation, or Indigenous community, marking a historic first for many communities at this prestigious event. Their representation depends on you.

Planetary Embassy

The Voice of Commons embassy takes place in Carlo Scarpa’s historic 1952 ticket office at the Venice Biennale.

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VoC aims to give a Voice to the Global Commons: to Antarctica, the Ocean, the Atmosphere and Outer Space. Without a Voice, the Commons don’t have a vote. While these diverse systems, located beyond national jurisdictions and belonging to humankind at large, are geographically distinct they form interconnected ecological networks ensure the equilibrium and resilience of our Earth system for future generations.VoC aims to give a Voice to the Global Commons: to Antarctica, the Ocean, the Atmosphere and Outer Space. Without a Voice, the Commons don’t have a vote. While these diverse systems, located beyond national jurisdictions and belonging to humankind at large, are geographically distinct they form interconnected ecological networks ensure the equilibrium and resilience of our Earth system for future generations.
VoC aims to give a Voice to the Global Commons: to Antarctica, the Ocean, the Atmosphere and Outer Space. Without a Voice, the Commons don’t have a vote. While these diverse systems, located beyond national jurisdictions and belonging to humankind at large, are geographically distinct they form interconnected ecological networks ensure the equilibrium and resilience of our Earth system for future generations.VoC aims to give a Voice to the Global Commons: to Antarctica, the Ocean, the Atmosphere and Outer Space. Without a Voice, the Commons don’t have a vote. While these diverse systems, located beyond national jurisdictions and belonging to humankind at large, are geographically distinct they form interconnected ecological networks ensure the equilibrium and resilience of our Earth system for future generations.