On June 21, we showcased the conclusion of the S+T+ARTS residencies that explore ecological and magical propositions for coexistence with water in the Venetian Lagoon.
Diego Delas and Leonor Serrano Rivas conceived a magical night expedition inside a time capsule through the canals. Disguised in the shape of a boat, the capsule hosted a camera obscura pointing to the dark bed of water, scrutinizing the depth of the canals, lagoon and detritus of time. The year-long periods of pre- and post-MOSE tidal rhythms appeared magically compressed into a few minutes long film-like apparition, wrapped in a journey that glides on the rhythms and patterns of the masses of water in its own language and terms.
Sonia Levy with Heather Ann Swanson, Meredith Root-Bernstein, and Alexandra Arènes presented in “Points of Life: co-constructing fragments in a shifting Lagoon”, the research phase of the group’s field-based inquiry stemming from their time during the S+T+ARTS residency. Through textual reflections on the research, film and mapping works in progress, the authors stayed with the fragments, raising questions about how we co-constitute worlds with other beings and materials in the aftermath of hydrological modifications.
Presentations of both groups were a part of “Becoming Fresh and Salty Drops (of water),” a month-long program celebrating the water and life forms of the Venice Lagoon, curated by María Montero Sierra, organized by TBA21–Academy, and supported by S+T+ARTS.