Public Map Platform project invited to exhibit at the International Architecture Exhibition in Italy

Date: Thursday, June 12, 2025

An esteemed Arts Professor is exhibiting in Italy this summer, as part of a project aimed at creating a mapping tool that captures what matters to communities, enabling them to use it to influence how their places are developed.

Alec Shepley, Associate Dean for Research and Professor of Art and Society at Wrexham University (pictured), is co-leading the Public Map Platform (PMP) project, which is being led by Professor Flora Samuel from the University of Cambridge’s Department of Architecture and Professor Scott Orford of Cardiff University.

The PMP is piloting an online map to help local authorities and their communities’ picture what is happening in a place, as a basis for informed decision making.

It has been developed in response to the Welsh Government’s need to operationalise the Future Generations Wales Act (FGA), as well as the Isle of Anglesey County Council’s need to align its activities and performance with the FGA. The project will help Anglesey achieve and evidence its progress towards its wellbeing objectives surrounding children and young people, net zero carbon and poverty. 

To showcase the progress made through the project so far the project team’s work is being exhibited in the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia until November this year.

The exhibit has been put together by Professor Shepley; Professor Samuel; Dr Irit Catz, Dr Caitlin Shepherd from Cambridge University; and Piers Taylor, from Invisible Studio.

Speaking about the exhibition and project, Professor Shepley said: “It’s a huge honour that the PMP project is now showing in Italy, as part of the 19th International Architecture Exhibition, which is centred around architecture being a response to the climate and how human design has been led by the need for shelter and survival.

“Our PMP exhibit features photographic panels, which demonstrate what we have achieved as a collective so far, which has mostly been a creative journey around the isle of Anglesey with Gillian Brownson, Lisa Hudson and Rhys Trimble – three multitalented bards, who have worked with children and young people, with the aim of co-creating narratives about a sense of place, imagining their ideal future on the island through poetry, visual arts and creative writing.

“The research has been live and applied, and has seen us collect rich cultural and environmental data from the island’s children and young people themselves to help us inform the map.

“This project embodies what Wrexham research is all about – it’s about bringing about positive changes, co-created with the community, with the aim of making things better for them. .   

“Although this project has been taking place in Anglesey, it’s a model that can be carried out for any local authority across the UK.”

The International Architecture Exhibition is an international exhibition of architecture from nations around the world and held in Venice biennially. This year’s exhibition is titled, ‘Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective.’ and will be open to the public until November 23.