La Laguna Resiste by Joe Habben 

This ongoing body of research documents the various communities resisting the effects of mass-tourism, de-population, and environmental breakdown in the Venetian lagoon. 30,000,000 visitors overwhelm the dwindling population of 50,000 inhabitants annually. An unsustainable environment for both human and more-than-human inhabitants, this project amplifies their presence, whilst highlighting their absence within the territory. 

A universal symbol of habitation, the project adopts the semiotics of washing lines to subvert, domesticate, and reclaim ‘public space’ in Venice. The silhouetted portraits printed on bedsheets attempt to engage passersby with the groups who are protecting the lagoon through acts of resistance and nature-based solutions. The individual identities of these people are not the focus, however their collective importance is crucial. Hanging in the balance, these prints celebrate the power of community and both; the strength and fragility of the floating city.