8. Transported by Water: Marine Fauna and Fishing Communities

With the itinerant conversations of the cycle “Cohabiting Within Wetness,” the third chapter of the project “Venice as a model for the future?” developed by TBA21–Academy for its Ocean Space, we direct our eyes and walks toward the localized action of organisms and phenomena often disregarded, yet fundamental for the balance of this ecosystem.

The project “Venice as a model for the future?” was initiated in 2020 and is curated by Barbara Casavecchia and Pietro Consolandi. “Cohabiting Within Wetness” is part of the three-year research cycle The Current III—“Mediterraneans: ‘Thus waves come in pairs’ (after Etel Adnan)," led by Barbara Casavecchia.

When visiting Venice, it is impossible to ignore the predominance of fish in the menus of every restaurant or "bacaro". In the Rialto market, there is evidence of centuries-old trading traditions and ecological knowledge, right down to the plaque indicating the size of the most disparate species of the local marine fauna, some now unknown to most visitors such as the gò (goby) or the "bisato" (eel).

But if coexistence with these more-than-human beings is so central, how have the recent ecological upheavals in the lagoon, gradually turning into a sea arm, affected the communities most closely linked to fishing activities? And how have these changes, sometimes difficult to perceive, been understood by the people who live in the lagoon, in direct symbiosis with its marine fauna?

To conclude the cycle “Cohabiting Within Wetness,” we return to the Norther Lagoon, following anthropologist Rita Vianello along the shores and the streets inhabited by the fishermen of Burano. This island, historically linked to fishing activities, is now at the heart of the conservation activities promoted by the LIFE Vimine (Venice Integrated Management of Intertidal Environments) initiative, which positions the local communities as guardians of the ecosystem, with a fundamental role to play in the future of the lagoon and the city of Venice itself.

PHOTO: LIFE Vimine

Meeting at 5:00 PM at the Burano vaporetto stop. Departure for “Cohabiting Within Wetness. Venice as a model for the future?”

Participation is free, please make a reservation at this link. Limited places available.

We remind you that transport via vaporetto is at the expense of participants.

Rita Vianello, PhD in Ethnology and Social History, has an international and interdisciplinary background. Her research areas focus on environmental issues, sustainability challenges, local knowledge and the material and immaterial cultural heritage inherent to maritime culture, especially in the Venetian area. Her articles are published in academic journals in Italy and abroad. In 2018 he published L'oro nero della laguna di Venezia. La mitilicoltura tra eredità culturali e nuove tradizioni. She is currently a lecturer in Anthropology and History of Popular Traditions at Ca' Foscari University in Venice, where she was a researcher within the Interreg Arca Adriatica project on the enhancement of the maritime heritage of the Adriatic Sea. She also works as a cultural anthropologist with the CNR-Ismar of Venice on the Interreg Tretamara project on the study of the marine-littoral environments of the Upper Adriatic.

“Cohabiting Within Wetness” is part of TBA21–Academy’s program, The Current III: The Mediterraneans: “Thus waves come in pairs” (After Etel Adnan), led by Barbara Casavecchia.

The Current III is a transdisciplinary program of perception, listening, thought and learning that supports projects, collective education, and voices on the shores of the Mediterranean through art, culture, science, and activism.