Onde (“Waves”) is a methodology of research through the act of walking, rather than a work of art in itself. The idea was inspired by the sister project Ziarah Utara, carried out by Tita Salina and Irwan Ahmett in Jakarta from 2018 onwards, in the context of the global program WE ARE OCEAN, curated by ARTPORT_making waves. The first walk was made possible by the MobilityFirst! Grant awarded by the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) In an attempt to create a direct connection with the lagoon ecosystem, and specifically with the Murazzi of Lido and Pellestrina during the first walk, we created a small luminous mobile sculpture: a red wave that lights up in places charged with meaning, where the presence of the lagoon, the sea, or some of its particular inhabitants is perceived. It works by connecting to the past, perceiving the energy of the present or the possibility of future events.
The light forced us to stop at some points to understand where this energy was coming from, to photograph it and understand it better. The slowness of walking is essential to be able to feel a territory through one’s body, unlike when crossing it quickly with other vehicles, and allows one to deviate, stop and retrace one’s steps. The light also served to meet people who are experts in the territory and ecosystem, connected to these places, learning from them and portraying them with the sculpture.
By its nature, the project is longer in duration, lending itself to being repeated several times to understand changes in an area, broken into multiple sections, and used to learn from the inhabitants of these places. A first presentation of the exploration of the Murazzi was celebrated during World Earth Day, April 22, 2021, with a talk hosted by TBA21-Academy and Ocean Space with Tita Salina, Irwan Ahmett (from Jakarta), Åsa Andersson, Carl Michael von Hauswolff and curator of ARTPORT_making waves Anne-Marie Melster (Stockholm), creating a bridge between the three places connected by common issues. Next stops will be the Northern Lagoon, from Jesolo to Cavallino and inland, from Lova to Chioggia and an exploration of the saltmarshes in the Campalto area.
