Typing Bird
A seagull lands in a public office and begins writing about what it witnessed in flight. By pure chance, its gaze caught four situations across different locations in the city, from a park in the Cannaregio sestiere to the Giardini della Biennale. The unwitting protagonists are an electrician, a black-and-white cat, two young people, and a guard. Every word from this specimen of Larus michahellis (the Yellow-legged gull) reveals how, from a different vantage point, it is possible to construct alternative narratives of life in the lagoon. Moments, encounters, insights, and errors all form part of an infrastructure that requires constant mediation in its relationship with Venice’s public space. The office where our dear seagull writes appears simply as what it is. There is a leaking pipe and the classic potted plant positioned to catch the drips, a desk lamp that doesn’t function as it should, and a print of a capriccio by Francesco Guardi. These elements all contribute to the narrative. An attentive eye is required. Everything can be seen.