Grand Canal
2019
Edition of 20, signed and numbered
6” x 11” x 1.5” closed, 13” open
Box 6.5 x 11.5 x 2
$800
6” x 11” x 1.5” closed, 13” open
Box 6.5 x 11.5 x 2
$800
The book is printed from hand-carved linoleum blocks printed on Mohawk heavyweight paper, and is housed in a unique marble paper covered box with a magnet closure on the fore edge. Each page is hand-cut and assembled into a tunnel book form, giving the viewer a periscope-like view of the famed Grand Canal.
The scene is a chaotic mix of local fauna, gondolas, traghettos and bridges vying for space on the waterway, contrasting with the ominous visage of a cruise ship lurking on the horizon. The outsized scale of the ship emphasizes the threat these monsters impose on the delicate environment of this unique place — flooding the streets with mass tourism, and literally flooding the small canals with their enormous wakes.
The cover panel is in the shape of an eye, reflecting upon the voyueristic nature of tourism.
The first panel shows an egret patiently hunting for fish amidst the chaotic scene. A quatrefoil-laced building facade typical of Venice provides the background.
The second panel has a winged cherub and a traghetto (ferry) making its regular crossing of the Grand Canal, as the figures in the gondola stand in the customary Venetian way for the short trip, ready to bound off the second the boat docks.
The third panel features the famed Rialto bridge, with a rower guiding a sandolo, the type of small rowboat used by the locals.
The fourth panel shows the characteristic vase-shaped chimneys of Venice.
The fifth panel is an enormous cruise ship ominously looming over the buildings and canal, impossible to miss.
The sixth panel is the back side of the tunnel book - The Lion's Mouth, or bocce dei Leone - depicting letter boxes found that were placed in prominent locations, where citizens could slip a note betraying the names of enemies of the Republic.
The side panels show rowers in racing gondolas training for the Regatta Storica.
