A Rose for Venice
Blog by Alex Barendregt: "So, there it is - A Rose for Venice, captured by national media in Italy, and as I was on site, captured also from my side. But let me tell you first. So we have been celebrating bodypainting and installation artist Elena and Mattia's wedding the day before and the weather forecast didn't look good, in fact, on the day of this amazing art project the weather was shit as hell. I didn't expect that this can even happen. Packed with our gear, soaked wet from head to toe, Anna and I got finally to the square San Marco.
Rain was pouring, hundreds of volunteers waiting under the arches but still very optimistic that Elena can pull it off.
Check it out, turn up the volume to get the mood.
+++ Official press release +++
Artist Elena Tagliapietra reimagines “The Feast of the ROSE” in one of the worlds most famous landmarks, the “Piazza San Marco”, on the 25th of April, with a massive art performance creating an iconic image. The writer Alberto Toso Fei tells the ultra millennial story behind this tradition.
Venice, a city famous for its secrets, has a tradition older than Valentine’s Day, and older and more tragic than the story of Romeo and Juliet.
The festival marks the anniversary of the tragic story of young love gone wrong, from when the daughter of a nobleman fell in love with a soldier of poor fortune. The romance ended in the death of both youths, the last gesture of the young man having been offering her a rose.
Every April 25th for nearly 1200 years, the men of Venice have honoured the women in their lives by giving them a rose. The Festa del Bocolo, the Festival of the Rose, is one of the oldest and best kept secrets of the romantic city of Venice.
This year, the artist Elena Tagliapietra brought hundreds of local Venetians and a few handpicked international romantic travellers, to battle against the weather to create a massive rose from living people in the centre of the Piazza san Marco. This giant rose which she has called “A Rose for Venice” was a live performance for the people of Venice, accompanied by a spoken word poem by the writer Alberto Toso Fei. Official event of the Municipality of Venice, with the production of the Centro Teatro Attivo Srt, these artists will create an unforgettable experience that will live on in photos and in the memories of Venices citizens as a reawakening of their ancient passions.
The installation was a performance of modern art taking its roots in the love of this magical city. And just as love can conquer all obstacles, art can be created in all weather.
+++ Video & Edit by Alex Barendregt WB Production / Purple Shift Studio
