dana karwas

vaparetto

analysis through movement and structure: venice vaparetto station

The design process for the vaparetto station was approached through a diagrammatical analysis of the city of Venice. Urban conditions were documented through long take video sequences and presented and studied in real time. Mapping the city through movement and following the patterns of both the local and the tourist molded a system of identification, navigation, and scale. A specific path for each person was observed as a separate but connected gesture. Movements were formally translated into a physical space.

Layered slats pass by one another as vaparettos land at the station causing a fluttering structure to form unique shadow, light, and sound for every arrival and departure. Static slats vs. moving slats compose a rich textured experince for the waiting passagner.

Summer Studio with Paola Sanguinetti Venice, Italy 2001