The Only Flowering Plant in the Ocean
Dear Friends,
I hope this email finds you well. I am coming back to life this autumn - hospital visits are less frequent, test results are looking better and my energy levels are increasing. Its a good feeling to be back in the studio and reconnecting with my work.
We (Vessel, our artist collective on Aegina) have been invited to take part in next year’s Venice Biennale of Architecture. We are thrilled to have been asked, but the Biennale offers no financial support and the invite has come too late to apply for institutional funding, so we are going to be relying on our network of friends, family, collaborators and comrades.
Click here to be taken to our IndieGoGo page
We want to send several packing cases of seagrass, collected on our local beaches, to Venice. As well as samples of seagrass prepared for architectural use, we'll include ceramic objects made from local clay, which tell the story of seagrass in the wild. This is a reference to the Venetian glassmakers of Murano, who used to send their wares around the world packed in seagrass from the lagoon of Venice. Even the painted crates will be made from reclaimed wood, and will form part of the exhibit, in order to minimise waste and maximise recycling as part of the project.
Fine out more about the project and how you can help by clicking this link
Mediterranean seagrass - Posidonia oceanica - grows all around our island. It's an extraordinary plant, the only flowering one in the ocean, and it is vital to marine ecosystems worldwide. It stores carbon, fills the ocean with oxygen, and provides a habitat for everyone else. It's also under threat, with some 60% of seagrass meadows disappearing from the ocean in the last few decades.
On Aegina, and around the Mediterranean, seagrass has been used for generations as insulation for houses and fertiliser for fields. Although these practices have largely disappeared, and been replaced by synthetic and unsustainable alternatives, the seagrass is still here.
We've been using seagrass as insulation in our projects, and it really is a wonder material: fire-resistant, inhospitable to pests, and free to collect on the beaches. Moreover, as we've used it, we've discovered its worlds, and become involved in conservation efforts to preserve and regenerate local seagrass meadows in the Aegean.
We want to share this knowledge, and raise awareness about seagrass ecology and conservation. And the Vennice Biennale has invited us to do so: but they don't offer any financial support. That's why we're asking for help.
Click here to support us in any way that you can. Every little offering makes a difference to us.
We are looking to raise at least €25,000 (plus taxes and indiegogo fees) to cover everything from the research and production fees and materials, to the shipping, installation, and accommodation costs in Venice.
Part of the budget will also go towards supporting meaningful projects related to seagrass and ceramics on the island of Aegina, so that our local community is fully integrated into the project. These include beach cleans, and practical workshops with Aegina's local clay, which was famous in antiquity for its porosity and ability to store cool drinks in hot weather.
We're not able to offer any 'perks' for your contribution, because we want to concentrate on making this project as simply (and quickly!) as possible, but we do promise to thank every single donor, whatever you can give, in the text accompanying the exhibition. And you will be guaranteed a very warm welcome if you ever come to Aegina!
Please consider supporting Vessel to reach Venice. It would mean a lot to us to see a small, independent collective make it to such a large and visible platform. Doing so will also help us in the much longer term, as representation at the Biennial will enable us to make larger funding requests to national and international organisations into the future.
Yours Sincerely,
Navine, on behalf of Vessel, Aegina