This little village has been standing along with the elements, and its compliment of insect inhabitants for decades, since around 1989 when I began sculpting it in clay. As it needs occasional repair to its old walls, a little sprucing up here and there, it remains nevertheless clothed in fallen leaves. Many of the buildings have decomposing walls, giving a look of the city returning to the land.
Venticello has figured into several of my exhibits about Tapissary. It is the only land where my invented language finds a permanent home. I have tried countless times to teach the language to the insects living there, but they have little interest in Tapissary other than climbing over the signs written in it.
Renovation at the chapel in the wall. The art glass appears water-like onto the brass statue inside.
These old walls crumble after decades of exposure to Nature. Dominocchio Square.
An old art display at the Museo Antisgorbio. The painting has come loose from the glass wall behind it. Terracotta statues seem impervious to time, and stand to keep guard.
The cleanup in Aug and Sept 2018 has brought in a new flood of light. The future plan is to carpet this entry to Venticello in moss or flowers. The photo above shows the western half of the village. The eastern half is still mostly consumed in years of leaf accumulation.
A rescued painting from the Torre Beco Storto. It is a miniature oil that I painted as a variation after a work by Chagall.
Before the cleanup project began.
Frilly detail is evidenced all over the village. Part of the wall that supports the Ideimiste.
One of the large photo collages I made for the exhibit “Hieroglyphic Collages” in NY, NY. in 2008. The island is the Tapissary words for “You and I”. Each of the other island collages were also formed in large calligraphy with elements from Venticello. Upon this island are several scenes of Venticello.
A close up view of the collage “You and I”.
And yet another zoomed in view of the same glyphs for “You and I”.
Another set of glyphs from the same exhibit. This on also has elements from Venticello. It reads: “Speak the Same Language”.
A new sign on polymer clay attached to the Torre Beco Storto in Venticello. It describes the history of the village square upon which it faces.