This was truly a transitory trip. Tipped by off by our Berlin friend David Ramirez, Bill Angst and I managed to find this crazy creative collective housed in an abandoned hospital at the edge of the beach. Back in 1933 this area was used as a hospice for children suffering from TB. Now it has been taken over by artists who use the space to live, put on music events, paint, and create performance art.
At the squat we met artist Franco Losvizzero getting ready to perform his new piece called Olive-Alive just outside the main area of the Biennale. We decided to follow the troupe back to Venice. All we were told was that this was a protest about the cutting down of the ancient olive trees. The performance would feature Franco’s muse The White Rabbit and a forest of human trees.