Art3
November 2, 2019
Nov 2, 2019
Italy,
Biennale,
Venice
As I wrote yesterday, on arrival in Venice we took vaporetto No. 2 to Giudecca (an area of Venice) where we'd rented an apartment. It was dark, the weather stormy, and the wide canal, also called Giudecca, was choppy.
As we waited for the property manager to meet us a small boat pulled up, just off the sidewalk, which has no railing, the Italians trusting pedestrians to avoid falling in like they also trust drivers not to mow down pedestrians when they share a ferry ramp, anyway this small boat pulled up with a young fellow at the controls. He smiled and said he was here to let us in to the apartment but couldn't get out of the boat, something about a problem with the engine, if he turned it off it'd be hard to restart. So, he said, here are the keys, he then tossed them to us and said the instructions are in the apartment. Ciao he said then he disappeared into the dark.
The keys opened a nondescript door just opposite from where he left us (and, we'd discover in the morning, next to a classy patisserie), the door opening into a very long and very narrow hallway, faced with plaster that remains on your shoulders when you brush it, then two flights of stairs and then into a wonderful, almost perfect, a tiny demerit as the patio wasn't waterfront, apartment. It's large, modern, light-filled, quiet, and supplied with every amenity we need. A detailed instruction book was sitting on the dining table. Bonus points for great waterfront views, a shower that doesn't leak, plenty of electrical outlets, and that busy vaporetto stop (Giudecca Palanca if you're looking at a map) that gets us quickly to the heart of Venice.
We then acquainted ourselves with the immediate neighborhood and stocked the fridge with the results from a run to the nearby Coop grocery so that the next morning, the morning of this post, we could take vaporetto No. 2 across the canal to Dorsoduro to begin our explorations. And that's what we did today, we wandered a tiny bit of Venice where we quickly ran into three exhibits, hence the title of this post, one from Azerbaijan and two from Iran, each a part of the Biennale. Along the way my attitude towards Venice changed. I'm really glad we're here.
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Estonia's exhibit for the Biennale
This is just down the street, err, sidewalk from here but we have yet to see the exhibit.
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Estonia's exhibit for the Biennale
This is just down the street, err, sidewalk from here but we have yet to see the exhibit.
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Estonia's exhibit for the Biennale
This is just down the street, err, sidewalk from here but we have yet to see the exhibit.
Gondola dry dock, Giudecca
Gondola dry dock, Giudecca
Gondola dry dock, Giudecca
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Garbage collection
Venice uses boats where we use cars. Ambulance, bus, taxi, police, UPS, personal transport, it's all done by boat.
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Garbage collection
Venice uses boats where we use cars. Ambulance, bus, taxi, police, UPS, personal transport, it's all done by boat.
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Garbage collection
Venice uses boats where we use cars. Ambulance, bus, taxi, police, UPS, personal transport, it's all done by boat.
Our street on Giudecca
Giudecca only draws tourists for sleeping, otherwise it's pretty quiet, it's for locals and a few businesses.
Our street on Giudecca
Giudecca only draws tourists for sleeping, otherwise it's pretty quiet, it's for locals and a few businesses.
Our street on Giudecca
Giudecca only draws tourists for sleeping, otherwise it's pretty quiet, it's for locals and a few businesses.
Weaving through traffic, Giudecca canal
The Giudecca canal is super busy all day long, the different boats weaving in and out. Early in the morning the cruise ships, accompanied by several tugs, cruise up the canal, right outside our windows, and then in the evening they cruise the other way, heading for their next port of call.
Weaving through traffic, Giudecca canal
The Giudecca canal is super busy all day long, the different boats weaving in and out. Early in the morning the cruise ships, accompanied by several tugs, cruise up the canal, right outside our windows, and then in the evening they cruise the other way, heading for their next port of call.
Weaving through traffic, Giudecca canal
The Giudecca canal is super busy all day long, the different boats weaving in and out. Early in the morning the cruise ships, accompanied by several tugs, cruise up the canal, right outside our windows, and then in the evening they cruise the other way, heading for their next port of call.
Azerbaijan exhibit at the Biennale
Azerbaijan exhibit at the Biennale
Azerbaijan exhibit at the Biennale
Azerbaijan exhibit, Biennale
Of the three exhibits we visited today
Azerbaijan's was our favorite. Named "Virtual Reality", it focuses on fake news as one of the greatest threats to democracy, free debate, and progress.
Azerbaijan exhibit, Biennale
Of the three exhibits we visited today
Azerbaijan's was our favorite. Named "Virtual Reality", it focuses on fake news as one of the greatest threats to democracy, free debate, and progress.
Azerbaijan exhibit, Biennale
Of the three exhibits we visited today
Azerbaijan's was our favorite. Named "Virtual Reality", it focuses on fake news as one of the greatest threats to democracy, free debate, and progress.
Iran exhibit
The Iran exhibit wasn't as interesting as Azerbaijan, though this piece sort of reminded me of Judy Chicago's "The Dinner Party."
Iran exhibit
The Iran exhibit wasn't as interesting as Azerbaijan, though this piece sort of reminded me of Judy Chicago's "The Dinner Party."
Iran exhibit
The Iran exhibit wasn't as interesting as Azerbaijan, though this piece sort of reminded me of Judy Chicago's "The Dinner Party."
Paul shopping for art supplies
Paul shopping for art supplies
Paul shopping for art supplies
At the Iranian artists' exhibit at the Biennale
I found the context more interesting than the art.
At the Iranian artists' exhibit at the Biennale
I found the context more interesting than the art.
At the Iranian artists' exhibit at the Biennale
I found the context more interesting than the art.
https://www.jamesgaston.ca/1645
