DESA1002 'Continuous City' Clarissa Luwia

Abstract

The City of Venice is the ideal place to be. Fashionable cafés, welcoming locals, smooth street vendors and an idyllic cityscape. Too busy engaging oneself with the pursuit of happiness, one doesn’t notice, something smells a little fishy. Lurking amongst a maze of canals lays a mafia base, the real centre of Venice, its art, nightlife and politics. It is in a dense neighbourhood, an eerie shape sits precariously in the centre of a moat. Important activities take place here, where maximum security is enforced. A second sturdy building surrounds it, a protective arm and support. Covering this building is a large mirror. Whether you approach by boat on its west side or by foot from the east, it’s a little disconcerting, almost foreboding. A building that can be seen, but cannot be found. It is the embodiment of its occupants, Seen but not proven. Visiting hours? Pay the fee and the ferryman may carry you there.