Future Tense / Past Tensions

Installation View

The installation will be situated on the roof of the building. This U-shaped space has a single access from the eastern side by means of a metal staircase. From the canal, the building creates a strong impression of horizontality. The conformation of the terrace and its unique access have led the artists to think of an installation that will define a path with a logic of its own that will lead spectators to a view of the surroundings (San Marco Square, the Salute Basilica, the Grand Canal, etc.) from an exclusive point of observation, as from the bow of a ship. As designed by Trevisan, this path would run through three different spaces. The first one is very intimate, almost closed—it is the space of the Past Tense. From this the visitor passes into a partially open aisle: this is the Present Tense. From this point, he or she would arrive at an open structure: the space of the Future Tense.

These temporal relationships will be expressed in a double structure unified by a central connecting aisle. Ribs of wood or aluminum define the main structure. All of the installation's dimensions and proportions are based on the building's proportions and modularity. The spaces are as tall as the floor below. Metallic frames for transparent panels made of polycarbonate (or a similar material) will be mounted on the ribs. Sirlin's paintings, printed onto film, will be placed on these frames creating a three-dimensional painting the viewer may enter. Gavazza's sound composition, derived from both recorded sources and the existing sounds of the Grand Canal and Venice, will surround and include the viewer.