Client: Venice Architecture Biennale 2018

Overview

‘Vera da Pozzo’ was installed for 6 months in Venice’s public park, Marinaressa Gardens’ as a collateral event of the Venice Architecture Biennale. The work celebrates Venice's historic wells and complex courtyard cisterns, as well as the symbol for Venice the ‘Winged Lion’.

Goals

It was of utmost importance that this work reflect the history of rain catchment in Venice, an ancient city that relied on complex courtyard rain harvesting systems called Vera da Pozzo, the title of my work. The Vera da Pozos are often embellished with relief sculpture carved in stone or cast in bronze. My work incorporated the form of the Verra da Pozzo found at San Toma, and with its cast bronze lion busts, male and female, and it's winged upper canopy , all culminates in portraying the symbol of Venice "The Winged Lion," and the utility of catching rain.

Process

I collaborated with the Venice European Cultural Center, USA Buccacio Bronze Foundry, Luthers Welding Company, Ron Gamons engineer, City of Venice Parks Dept: all to guarantee a seamless site specific RainKeep for Venice, safe for public, and key in educating visitors, and local community, about water conservation and historically of Venice, a city without ground water, and its historic rain catchment system.

Additional Information

Recently, 2019,’ RISD News’ highlighted this work work https://www.risd.edu/news/stories/alum-allison-newsome-shows-rainkeep-water-collector-at-gre en-tech-expo/