GIANLUCA REGAZZO

"La Mémoire" is composed of over 3,000 hand-stitched #OrsoniVenezia1888 smalti and white gold tesserae inspired by the delicate form of the Venetian gondola.

With the Venetian Gondola as its subject, this project is a tribute to the Venetian magnificent history of maritime transportation. Synonymous with elegance and refinement, its black color became a symbol of 'social democratization' through the Serenissima Government enacted decree of 1609. 
"La Mémoire" was created utilizing an intimate knowledge of the glassmaking and the gondola, so that, as the artist explains, “the gondola rests and sails in the lagoon of glass which reflects like diamonds”. The mosaic and the gondola, both two thousand year old Venetian culture’s creations, are here fused into a singular experience in which each handsewn mosaic tessera molded with vegetable leather, creates a contemporary image of the human body.

This project was shown at The Wolfsonian-FIU as part of the exhibition "SustainabItaly - People, Planet, Prosperity" curated by architect Luisa Bocchietto and presented by the Consulate General of Italy in Miami as a tribute to the recently born "Miami & Venezia friendship city relationship”.