Surfacing Fisheye

The story behind

Surfacing FishEye is made of bricola wood, obtained from the timber poles that form the foundations of Venice, driven into the lagoon’s caranto layer – a mixture of solid clay and sand situated at great depths. In spite of everything, Venice continues its fight against the muddy ground and ever increasing water levels. Surfacing FishEye, which is sculpted by water, salt, shipworms and time, is a tribute to this epic submarine struggle that has transcended millennia. During their stay in the Laguna, these Oak logs are deeply sculpted by Teredo Navalis, shipworms that leaves traces of their passing on the wooden surface producing striking patterns of circular holes, whilst avoiding the inner core of the log, allowing it to maintain its health and strength. This creates a beautiful contrast between outer decay and inner robustness. The assiduous labour of the elements necessitates the replacement and scrapping of the poles, providing an organic material that has traversed by life.

The new Surfacing FishEye fully engages the alcarol’s idea of submerged cross-section of this extraordinary setting: the most intimate matter of the bricola is brought to light, revealing all the traces of its long vital history among the Venetian canals, and allowing it to be touched by hand. By filling the gaps left by shipworms with resin and capturing the underwater air bubbles, alcarol achieves a new functionality with the poetic choice to bring the material beneath the water’s surface, freezing time at the end of its cycle and giving it a new life before it goes to waste.