When I was a teenager I would have never thought that one day I would impersonate the Venetian expression ‘casa e bottega’, but apparently it has happened! I live in Cannaregio along Fondamenta della Misericordia, in a small top floor apartment that offers me a wonderful view over the roofs of the neighbourhood, and my studio is in Campo dei Mori, at literally five minutes away from home.
I opened this studio only a few months ago, and we could say it’s still under construction. Right now the project that is occupying most of my time is Re-Light Venice, focused on candles, but there are many years of work that are still left untold and I am slowly trying to put everything in order and find the right place for every project.
For the time being, I’d like to tell you more about Re-Light Venice, while we go for a walk around my area.
The situation of Venice is a very unique one, in the good and in the bad… Before the pandemic, the local economy of the city had already been totally transformed by mass tourism, with a consequent gentrification and the increase of not-exactly-sustainable activities revolved to tourists… Then on November 12th 2019, the terrible Acqua Granda brought a lot of discomfort, causing serious damage to numerous activities in town.
After this, we all know what happened. During the pandemic the city seemed almost unreal. We are so few that with no tourists it looked empty (but so so so beautiful… wow…). For this reason, following so much trouble, I decided to dedicate my candles to the city and called the project Re-Light Venice.
The hope is, with a simple gesture like lighting a candle, to return to Venice its deserved light.
As mentioned in my previous post, I created the moulds myself and the bases are made with leftover wood used to make gondola oarlocks. I must confess that I tend to get very attached to those bases and some are so beautiful that I find it difficult to give them away…
Anyway, another important aspect of my project is to support small local businesses. In an ever more massified world, the importance of recovering a slower dimension and treasure our traditions and diversities is evident, and I hope that my objects convey at least a little bit of how much I believe in the liberating power of manual work.
Thank you so much for reading and feel free to write me for any question.
Michela
For further enquiries, please contact me at: info.relightvenice.com
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