‘I capelli di Venezia’ When photographer, Gianmaria peers over the edge of the Venetian canals of Italy he sees mist ravaged lands, turbulent storms and eerie forests. Here on the edge of Venice he set out to capture these worlds stumbling upon a tale of nature and humankind which has unfolded thanks to an intruder that slithers outwards and across the lagoon. Following the Venetian tides he waited for the perfect light of day to uncover his landscapes while the continual ebb of the water rendered no two compositions alike. At the same time its ripples and reflections allowed him to experiment with textures akin to incisions and paint strokes.
A seaweed, now known to locals as ‘I capelli di Venezia’ (the hair of Venice), came to the Venetian lagoon from Asia in recent decades threatening the lagoon’s biodiversity and coiling and twisting around the oars and prows of the city’s gondolas and ferries, thwarting their passage.
In a series of black and white images, ‘I capelli di Venezia’ in contrast with the water reveals an enchanting wilderness that thrives in the midst of human endeavour both as a consequence of it and a danger to it. The photographs thus cast a powerful light on the eternal struggle between nature and civilisation and bring to the fore the beauty of the natural world in our everyday surroundings that is often taken for granted. Prints are available in three formats. Visit www.gianmariadeluca.com and complete the form on the ‘About’ page for more info.
