Departing from Venice

Republic of Common Ground September – November 2012 REPUBLIC of COMMON GROUND UN-COMMON NEWS UN-COMMON VENICE founded in 1798 Departing from Venice At the 13th International Architec- be translated into the language of ture Exhibition in Venice, which the kiosk where this alternative view has ‘Common Ground’ as its theme, (un-common view) will be offered Günther Vogt’s exhibition piece ta- to passersby in Venice in the form kes Venice itself as the starting point. of newspapers, maps, postcards, etc.. It examines public space, understood As the smallest building in the city, as being the commons, caught in the the kiosk is open to the widest pos- conflict between resource and utili- sible section of the general public, zation. By interviewing the local re- and will thereby establish a dialogue sidents and tourists in various public between the city and Biennale, as ad- places all over Venice, the intention is mission is free to all - firmly rooted to present a subjective perception of in the common ground of the city. the local ‘resource’ and its regulato- page 2,3 ry framework in relation to everyday life. The results of the surveys will LOCAL BACKGROUND COntEnt Piazza vs. An attempt THEME BACKGROUND: WATER IntERNATIONAL 2 Un-Common Venice 10 Water consumption 22,23 How does globalisation 3 Public assets in Venice 11 The greatest flood work locally? Campi on water from the everyday protection of all time 24,25 77 Statements on tourism perspective of the users 12,13 Venice – an attempt to While St. Mark’s Square (literally the In his article Jan Pieper shows how make water habitable through art (Jan Pieper) 26 OPINION & DEBATE LOCAL only ‘square’ in Venice) has always the particular situation of Venice has 27 PLAYTIME 4 Campo St. Margherita 28 PANOPTICON been the culmination of political helped shape its architecture, urban 5 Campo di Ghetto Nuovo IntERVIEWS 6 St. Mark’s Square power and state representation, the design and the life in it, how the invi- 7 ‘Because this is the Campi (from the Italian word ‘cam- sible underground has conditioned place where most of MAPPING VENICE the people come’ po’, field) are meeting places for the the city we see. 8,9 Find your way through 19 1 kiosk for every 500 local cosmos of Venice. By juxta- pages 12, 13 Venice. inhabitants 20,21 How much time do posing three portraits, an attempt you need for venice? SPECIAL: KIOSK 14,15 un-common map is made to trace the specifics of pu- 16,17 Kiosk inventory of Venice blic spaces in Venice from the local SPECIAL: KIOSK 18 From pleasure pavilion to everyday up to the global spectacle, small consumer temple as a representative selection: Campo From a small pleasure Santa Margherita, Campo di Ghetto pavilion to a shrine of Nuovo, St. Mark’s Sqaure. IntERNATIONAL CLIMATE pages 4 – 6 consumerism How does Climatic forecast for Venice by the for- mer Mayor Cacciari when asked whe- This Special section delves into the globalisation work ther Venice is sinking: “Who knows, QUOTE OF THE DAY story of the kiosk, and shows that it is some scientists say one thing, the others worth taking a closer look at this pie- locally? say something else. You cannot dictate “Everything that ce of small-scale architecture, which the sea.” page 11 one could say is an integral part of public space. As What is the plural of Venice? about Venice has the guardian of trivia, it has a multi- Against the backdrop of a global faceted history: From the little ple- reproductive machine that makes 35 30 Venice: yearly average been said and asure pavilion or fountain house to Venice appear as an inexhaustible Venice: moving average Trieste: moving average the present shrine to consumerism. resource, we look for any possible 25 printed.” An interview with the oldest kiosk transformation losses or gains in an 20 10 cm owner in Venice gave an unusual in- international comparison. 15 Goethe 10 sight into the inner life of the kiosk page 22 –25 Sea level (cm) 5 culture. 0 CHF 0.00 pages 16 – 19 -5 EUR 0.00 1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 year Editorial Department and Publishing: Republic of Common Ground www.republic-of-common-ground.com 1 Republic of Common Ground THEME September – November 2012 un-common Venice What do a turquoise-coloured kiosk with all sorts of curios, posters in the city with unusual statements and a cup of water have in common? You will not find any answers on the corner of Via Garibaldi and Riva dei Sette Martiri, instead you get a couple of questions in return and the renaissance of a public space that has been closed for a long time: An everyday kiosk that reveals an unfamiliar Ve- nice. A small, turquoise-coloured kiosk on Get a cup of water for free in the city’s Common Ground at the kiosk on the corner of Via Garibaldi and Riva dei Sette Martiri. the corner of Via Garibaldi and Riva dei Sette Martiri has been attracting perception of the“ ressource of Veni- type of kiosk, of which there are only for a diversity of views and opinions the attention of passersby and visi- ce” and its regulatory framework in a few in Venice, is a formal reminder on the ‘un-common Venice’. All the tors at this year’s Architecture Bien- relation to everyday life. It dealt with of the Islamic roots of this kind of articles in the kiosk will be given to nale ever since the 25th of August. the question of how this place is small-scale architecture. There were the passersby on the condition that Maybe this is just because you can used, assimilated and mentally con- small street kiosks during the time of they participate in the survey, thus get a cup of drinking water there for ceived, how one gets about there and the Ottoman Empire from the early making them a part of the project. free?! It certainly brings many peo- orients oneself, and what its specific 16th century, which served as a public In the context of the Bien- ple in, away from the blazing August characteristics and qualities are. The fountain house, because under Isla- nial Exhibition at the Corderie there sun, for a welcome refreshment. understanding of Venice, respectively mic law, the supply of the urban po- is only the more abstract, empty shell The kiosk is part of a of the public space as the “commons”, pulation with safe drinking water of the kiosk from the Via Garibaldi, project by Günther Vogt adopted at the 13th International Architecture Exhibition in Venice, which devotes itself to the topic of “Common Ground”. Günther Vogt’s contribu- tion takes the topic literally, whereby he sees the public space as common land (‘commons’) and has examined this accordingly with regard to the relationship between resources and utilization. Venice seems to be a suitable paradigm for this observation because of the clear separation of public and private space, and because of the tension between local and global use - against a backdrop of the critical question of a potential overu- se by mass tourism (see ‘Tragedy of the commons’). An attempt was made by Turkish pump room ‘sebil’ from the 16th century in The occupied kiosk in Venice, located at the intersec- Model for the kiosk in the Corderie. means of a pedestrian survey con- Istanbul (photo: Godfrey Goodwin) tion of Via Garibaldi and Riva dei Sette Martiri. ducted at various public places and the focus on the subjective per- was one of the duties of the ruling in which the copper surface reflects throughout the city with the help of spective of users - from local residents families and wealthy individuals. the posters mounted on the exhibi- students from the IUAV (University to the global day-trippers – should, There used to be a servant inside the tion walls. The installation in the of Venice) to identify a differentiated as it were, open up an unusual view fountain houses, who would serve Corderie is therefore the reflector of Venice (“uncommon Venice”) out free drinking water to the passer- and archive of the ‘real’ common stemming from an everyday percep- sby. As water is one of the most im- grounds in the city outside. We are looking for: tion and familiar events. portant public assets (commons), Without wanting to see A Kiosk Assistant An initial, low-profile oc- this tradition has been resumed. the kiosk as an allegory for public for our kiosk in Via Garibaldi / cupation of the urban space takes The kiosk also serves as a space or the city, it seems suitable to Riva dei Sette Martiri place from August to December with communication and presentation us as a strategy and common posters that address the residents and platform for the results of the pede- platform: As the guardian of trivia, it We are looking for a temporary As- sistant at our kiosk for the period tourists in all the languages of the strian surveys. The findings derived thrives on the juxtaposition of varie- of 29 August - 25 November 2012. countries participating in the Bien- from the surveys will be translated ty wherein every little thing has its You know what the kiosk stocks nale. The posters launch the public into the language of the kiosks, whe- own identity, but the quality is first and can provide information on each item. Polite manners are a debate with statements and questions re this unfamiliar side of Venice will created when it is combined in the prerequisite.

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