Block I. Expedition
11–14 December
11 December. Venice
Arrival, settling in, the first attempt not to get lost. Towards evening, a meeting with Andrey at the very table where Brodsky used to follow a double espresso with another cigarette. No hurry, no rushing to San Marco for souvenirs. Cicchetti, ombra, something from the waters of the lagoon and surprising encounters await us. Venice wears you out in advance simply by being so famous: everything seems to have been photographed, described and turned into an attraction already. Let’s see what remains if we simply live there for a couple of days.
12 December. Bilzho’s Venice
A day with Andrey in his city. Not “the highlights in six hours”, but places he goes to himself, stories, home, coffee, unexpected turns. Along the way, the old Venetian ghetto with its history. Around the corner, another dozen stories, here in every stone and every shutter. Baccalà mantecato, sarde in saor, another ombra. How much beauty can a person take in two days in Venice? We’ll find out.
13 December. Gran Balon
In the morning, Turin and Gran Balon: old photographs, letters, books, prints, crockery, toys, furniture, tools and things that somebody once needed. Who owns an object’s story after its owner dies? Why is a found photograph sometimes more interesting than your own? What does a person throw away first: things or stories? You can think about it. You can buy a lamp. Then the arcades, vitello tonnato, agnolotti del plin, Barbera. In the evening, a review of the spoils.
14 December. The Egyptians
In the morning, the participants of the second block join us, having missed everything. On the other hand, they have it all ahead of them. Next, the Egyptian Museum: papyri, images, everyday records, sarcophagi and several thousand years of wanting to leave something behind. Why is it sometimes easier to understand dead Egyptians than living contemporaries? No answer yet. After the museum, a generous Piedmontese table: tajarin, agnolotti, vitello tonnato, Barbera, caffè corretto. The expedition ends. Those who came only for the first block stay in Turin. The rest head to the mountains.
Block II. Creative Ward
14–17 December
Here the gaze turns from outside to inside. Several days of working on your own small book together with Andrey Bilzho. Any form: text, a visual story, a comic, a book of photographs, a family archive or something we’ll find a name for later. You can discuss your idea before arriving. Using material from the expedition is optional. Venice, Gran Balon and the Egyptian Museum may find their way into the book, or remain a pleasant complication. What helps creativity more: a museum, a flea market or a good lunch? And how much of all this fits into one small book? We’ll find out.
14 December. Admission
Towards evening, Rorà, Stone Oven House, polenta concia, toma, Barbera. Then, materials on the table. A ready idea, a folder, a few photographs, a text, a single phrase. “I don’t know yet” also counts as a beginning.
15 December. Diagnosis
Ristretto, project discussions, work. Andrey moves between cases. Then risotto al Barolo and robiola appear, and productivity predictably falls, but not for long. Towards evening, the village, the bar, vermouth or caffè corretto. Scientific evidence on treating creative block remains insufficient.
16 December. Occupational therapy
The main working day. By now, projects usually begin to resist their authors: a good sign. Work, revisions, doubts, bringing back what was discarded. If you like, the local museum, the forest, a climb higher into the mountains or the chance to go nowhere at all. If the world has gone mad, is the artist obliged to stay calm? No need to decide before lunch. Bagna cauda, Castelmagno, the final hours of work. In the evening, we look at the results together. A book, a mock-up, a few spreads, a text, drawings or an object of uncertain diagnosis. Then bollito misto, Barolo and the final case conference. Must there be conclusions at the end? Fortunately, no.
17 December. Discharge
Caffè lungo, focaccia, a look at yesterday’s work in daylight. Those who want to make corrections do so. Those who know when to stop display a rare quality. Then departure.
In between
There might be a sauna, a walk in the mountains, the local museum, an agriturismo, pilaf in a cauldron over an open fire or several hours of doing nothing. Not everything needs to become a timetable. This is not a coach tour, after all. Can you travel through someone else’s memory? Probably. If the world has finally stopped fitting inside your head, perhaps the problem is no longer in your head. For a few days, you can stop trying to fix it and make something small, your own and finished. A book, for example.
You can arrive earlier or stay afterwards
You can come to Stone Oven House before the festival or stay beyond 17 December: walk, catch up on sleep, carry on working or carry on with nothing at all. Additional days are booked separately, subject to room availability. In some cases, discharge really is premature.
Participation
BiljoFest consists of two independent blocks. You can join just the Venice — Turin expedition, just the Creative Ward or the full programme. There are options with fully organised accommodation, meals and internal travel, as well as more independent formats. The specific options and prices are in a separate calculator.