Simone Fattal: Sempre il mare, uomo libero amerai!
Ocean Space, Venice, 2023

On the occasion of the exhibition Thus waves come in pairs, curated by Barbara Casavecchia and presented at Ocean Space, Simone Fattal has created a series of ceramic and glass sculptures to inhabit the empty niches of the baroque altar found in the Chiesa di San Lorenzo’s East Wing. Titled Sempre il mare, uomo libero amerai! after Charles Baudelaire’s poem L'homme et la mer, Fattal’s installation includes representations of the Arab folkloric duo Máyya and Ghaylán, prompting the question of whether humanity will once again look to nature to find technological solutions for the future. Spherical glass works produced in Murano and inscribed with phrases in the now-vanished Mediterranean “lingua franca”—a pidgin once relied on by merchants, pirates and slaves to communicate throughout the region—are also included in the presentation. The exhibition coincides with the 18th edition of the Venice Architecture Biennale.

D.H.office worked closely with Fattal’s studio to produce the new glass works with craftsmen in Murano while also overseeing the rest of the exhibition design, production and installation. Our team also coordinated all other aspects of the project.