Lagoon Wanderings: Boat hydro-perspectivism in the aquapelagic assemblage of the Venetian Lagoon

Abstract

In this article I conduct the reader along a journey that follows different waterways within the Venetian lagoon and provides insights into the water-land interactions of this unique aquapelagic assemblage. Leveraging the methodological tool of hydro-perspectivism, I situate the analytical standpoint within two very different kinds of boat: the vaporetto (a local waterbus) and the kayak. The first, native to the lagoon, gives voice to a sample of the massive population of tourists that constantly crowds the lagoon’s islands and waters. Navigating the congested waterways leading from the Lido littoral to Venice’s historical centre, I raise issues such as over-tourism, water quality, and wave motion. Shifting the perspective to the kayak, a type of boat that originates in Inuit culture and is perfectly suited to the lagoon's shallow waters, the article then investigates the potentialities of analysing from the water’s edge, considering other serious problems of the Venetian aquapelago, such as pollution and hydro-morphological alterations. In conclusion, I argue that by conceiving the boat as not only as a means of transport but also as a means of acquiring and formulating knowledge, it is possible to revitalise hydrophilic feelings and thus the precious aquapelagic identity of Venice’s lagoon that has been in decline over the last century.