Sculpture in Venice Has a Foreboding Message About Climate Change (But You Can Do Something)

Three-dimensional art pieces, which are often overwhelming in their sheer size, are a great means to grab our attention and send a message about equally massive problems. No wonder then that this kind of artwork lends itself so well to carrying warnings and reminders about the most critical environmental issues that concern exactly every single one of us, whether we like it or not. Italian sculptor Lorenzo Quinn has created a huge sculpture to remind us of the massive impact of sea level rise – something Venice is already having to face.

The sculpture, titled “Support,” shows two gigantic hands emerging from the water of the Grand Canal and holding up the Ca’ Sagredo Hotel. The building is a 14^th-century Byzantine-Gothic style cultural landmark for the city of Venice. Quinn’s piece went up during this year’s Venice Biennale.

The enormous hands holding up the corner of the building can be interpreted as supporting the edifice in an effort to keep it from sinking into the canal, or in a completely contrary but equally moving way – as a metaphor of the rising tides themselves, reaching up and trying to tilt the building over and pull it apart.

The sculpture, deeply affecting and impossible to evade, is a clear comment on the critical issue of Climate change and the rising tides. According to a report published in Quaternary International, Venice might be completely underwater within a century if climate change is not curbed and flood defenses installed in the city.

In an Instagram post, Quinn writes that “Support,” “wants to speak to the people in a clear, simple and direct way through the innocent hands of a child and it evokes a powerful message which is that united we can make a stand to curb the climate change that affects us all.” The artist also emphasizes that all of us have to think about how we can help our planet, and also protect our national heritage sites.

While this message is certainly a chilling one, there are many things we can do to help combat Climate change in our everyday lives. Did you know you can halve your personal carbon footprint just by changing what you eat? That’s right! Animal agriculture is one of the leading drivers of Climate change, in fact, it’s responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than the entire transportation sector. With this in mind, by choosing more plant-based foods over meat and dairy, we can minimize our contribution to this mega industry. To learn more about how you can start using your food choices to benefit the planet, check out One Green Planet’s #EatForThePlanet campaign.

All image source: Lorenzo Quinn/Instagram