"Assemblage"

For centuries, the inhabitants of Venice have waged war on natural processes of change, in order to shape the city to their needs, including dramatic physical alteration of the landscape. This drawing was contrived out of admiration for the equilibrium that has made Venice so great over the course of centuries. I began by overlapping grid like assemblages of Byzantine and Venetian architectural references, to represent the densely complex groupings of elaborate architectural renderings that envelop the city. The ground layer of the drawing references buildings of bureaucratic significance and military heritage as a symbol of power, human dominance, and economic success. These mark a foundation for the grandness and regal eloquence of the city's structure. The work is an exploration of magnificent creation, dealing with both the historical context, and the threatening conditions of Venice and its surrounding lagoon. By using the language of gestural mark making I am able to address the collective groupings of structural elements, where regardless of its oppressive state the landscape continues to emerge. This suggests a particular architectural determinism where venice continues to rebuild and evolve through the natural pattern of the universe.