Venice Immersive is now in its eighth edition and is still the eternal enfant terrible of the Biennale family.

That status has little to do with industry prestige – the new media spotlight unfolds on its own island, becoming an unmissable gathering place as prestigious as the film festival itself – and everything to do with a fluid medium that remains perpetually unstable.

“[These artists] are creating a whole new language,” said Venice Immersive co-curator Michel Reilhac. “They are making the invisible visible now, finding a new way to express emotions that is not as literal or limited as in other art forms.”

The immersive format can change at will, fueled by a steady influx of established artists looking for a new challenge, and shaken by an uncertain market that has yet to find a scalable distribution model.