Abandon Ship!
Since the situation in Italy and in Venice in particular, seems to become one perpetual state of emergency, the solution to the present architectural and urban crisis cannot come from standard strategies.
A small installation in Gino Valle's housing complex tries to rise questions about it.
Venice was founded by refugees. The territory on which it was founded was so inhospitable that was almost uninhabitable. Nevertheless, Venetians created a successful symbiotic relationship with such a harsh environment, so as to transform a situation of dire need in one of the most lavish cities of the world.
Venice is now sinking, not just because of global warming. Venice sinks because it tried to be a contemporary "normal" city, forgetting its intimate relationship with the sea, which has started to slowly reclaim what it has given to the city
Venice is highly symbolic. It has been highly jeopardized since it has been treated as a contemporary urban ecosystem full of intricate norms aimed at development and progress. Paradoxically, though, because Venice does not abide by norms designed for situations without exceptions and extremes. Venice today is the perfect example of the Italian 80s generation, born and raised in a country pretending to be successful and prosperous, while fighting against a long emergency crisis, like Venice.
Since the situation in Italy and in Venice in particular, seems to become one perpetual state of emergency, the solution to the present architectural and urban crisis cannot come from standard strategies. Gino Valle created a perfect housing project, and yet his work lies abandoned. Although Italy has the largest number of architects per capita in the world, our contribution has never been so irrelevant.
It is necessary to abandon the comfortable sinking transatlantic of our habits and to board on agile emergency rafts. Let's forget to be children of a rich country and act again as ingenious refugees.
Are houses missing in Venice? Let's build houseboats as in our low-cost travels around the world!
No work at home? Let's emigrate, establish an infinite number of collectives and bring back home the treasures of knowledge stolen abroad.
Does paper dissolve in water? Fold it again and again until it becomes a boat able to face the perilous sea of the future!
