‘Noah’s violin’ to take to the Venetian canals in September

Italian sculptor Livio de Marchi has unveiled his latest creation: a 12-metre long violin designed to sail the waterways of Venice. Dubbed ‘Noah’s Violin’ by the artist, the instrument will have its official launch on 18 September.

The project was put together by De Marchi and his team at the Consorzio Venezia Sviluppo from the Lucchese shipyard on the nearby island of Giudecca. Taking a year to build, the violin symbolises ‘the rebirth of Venice’ after the pandemic, according to the sculptor: ‘As Noah put the animals on board the Ark to save them, we will spread art through music on this violin’ he told the Venezia Today newspaper. It is also planned for the violin, which was designed to be easily disassembled and rebuilt, to travel the world after its launch in Venice.

At the launch, two pairs of musicians from the Benedetto Marcello Conservatory will perform works by Vivaldi, the city’s most famous musical son, from the violin.

This is not the first water-based sculpture designed by De Marchi; his other vessels have included a high-heeled shoe, a coach and horses, a paper hat, an origami crane, and a vintage Volkswagen car.

View: The decorated instruments of Leonardo Frigo

View: ‘Thematic instruments’ by Brazilian luthier Saulo Dantas-Barreto

View: The Strad’s Halloween hall of horrors

All photos courtesy Mieko Ban

Watch the grand unveiling here, and a video of Livio de Marchi in his workshop here: