Venice: High Water 4 by sandra46

Photography • Architecture • posted on Mar 15, 2014

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Description

It's been only since the 1970s that we started to understand how the Venetian lagoon 'breathes', inflowing and outflowing water, during the centuries. This happened thanks to the collaboration of fresh water fishers, hydraulic engineers, heretic historians, and an amateur archaeologist that became THE authority on the lagoon's archaeology. In fact, there were rumors among the fishing community ( a very tough bunch, especially the mostly illegal clam fishers) that in some parts of the lagoon human bones could be found trapped in the nets. After years of serious research in very difficult conditions, today we know most, if not all, the submerged areas that once were flourishing ports, towns and monasteries. The human bones came from church graveyards or areas were the bodies of the victims of the many outbreaks of plague were disposed of by the Very Serene Republic of Venice. Thanks for your kind comments.

Comments (40)

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anmes

6:53AM | Tue, 18 March 2014

Super detail on the image and the info very interesting

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erlandpil

9:21AM | Wed, 19 March 2014

a beautiful photograph of Venice yes it is erland

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Richardphotos

7:10PM | Wed, 19 March 2014

I am enjoying your insights into Venice. superb capture

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anahata.c

11:16AM | Thu, 20 March 2014

Another wonderful shot, Sandra, this one with more shadow and mystery, perhaps matching the darker theme of your text. I know there is history of submerged centers in this region; I didn't know how wide-reaching it was, however. I also know of some of the fishermen in this region, as well as in some other regions of Italy. (I knew some ethno-musicologists who recorded the amazing arrangements of some of the fishermen and longshoremen from Italian sea ports, and they said some of these guys could take your arm off if you just looked at them the wrong way...in stark contrast to their wonderful full-throated singing.) And anyway, your discussion of the flooding brings home one of the themes in your gallery, namely the heave of history and how it layers, like digital blends, one tract of history over another---ie (to use my cheap analogy), blending them over and over, and coming out with a new product. A rather cheap characterization of history, I admit, but there's a kernel truth to it. (I did my grad work in "History of Culture," and my department head would've thrown me out of the whole city for what I just wrote---not his office, mind you, the whole CITY. Hope he's not a member of RR...) Anyway, because of your angle, you have a terrific contrast here: The flat wall on the right, with all that gorgeous tracery and iron work, etc, meeting with the flattened wall to the left of it---our left---where everything is crunched together by perspective. The combination is wonderful, showing a flat-out facade with a "flattened" facade. I love the combination. The dark shadow of that passageway gives this shot great mystery. I remember some of Flavia's photo-manipulation, and marveling at the levels of mystery she put into them (pieces sans stories); and the more I see of this city in your gallery, the more I can understand where some of her inspiration came from. You've got the boat-posts lined up with the center and left end of the door i(n that front facade). And the 2 boats---front and way back---draw foreground to background, here. Love this image. I see I'm at the most recent Venice image so far---I'm going into withdrawal. Well I'll do one more image today, and be back for more in another session. (Flavia is next, hopefully this weekend...)

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