Era Mare is a recently published photo book that recounts the disaster caused by the high tide that hit the Venice lagoon last November.
It’s a book of about 24 pages with photographs and texts both in Italian and English. All the proceeds will go to the cultural association Do.Ve, formed by private individuals and commercial activities that for a couple of years have been involved in the protection and enhancement of part of the district of Dorsoduro. The association, in turn, has undertaken to use the money from the sale to help those who, after the high water, have not yet been able to start again.
The project was born thanks to the photographer Matteo de Mayda who was present in those days in the Venetian city. The artist documented what happened and from his very touching shots started Era Mare, a project formed with the support of the bruno studio (Andrea Codolo and Giacomo Covacich) and the texts of the curator Francesca Seravalle.
The particularity of the publication is that it is divided into two halves: one emerged and one submerged, with the apparently normal upper part acquiring a completely different meaning and impact when completed by the lower one.



A silent silence persisted and erased the defined contours between the foundations and the rii, between the canals and the calli, swallowing the streets and isolating the bridges, elected as meeting places where the few remaining inhabitants could greet each other in the dry. Every now and then, for a few hours, it happened that the underwater world would emerge, showing magnificent Byzantine mosaics, Palladian and Venetian style terraces – cit. Francesca Seravalle.
Matteo, in the days of the flood, was in Venice with the idea of taking a few shots for the city where high water was the norm without expecting extraordinary events. What you can perceive from his shots is surely the irony with which this event was faced and the strength of the Venetian people who reacted in the best way.


Every shot of Era Mare is delicate, conveying strong and contrasting sensations, telling a story and avoiding the storyline of the damage out of respect for the people affected. The reportage tells the suspended and fragile atmosphere of Venice, its lagoon and the Venetians.
If you also want to help small traders who have suffered big damages, you can go to the site and make a donation of your choice! For each donation, the book is given as a gift and sent home.



