A blob of fluorescent green water that appeared in Venice’s iconic Grand Canal over the weekend has spurred an official investigation.
On Sunday morning, water taxis and gondolas waded through a patch of fluorescent green water that appeared to grow slowly near the landmark Rialto Bridge, an act that Venetian authorities suspect could be linked to environmental activist groups.
No group has claimed responsibility for the green liquid that appeared in the water yet. While local police investigate a number of leads, officials are “conducting analysis to establish the nature of the substance in the water,” with expected results later this week, Italy’s fire brigade tweeted. Quartz’ Ananya Bhattacharya reported that the substance dumped in the waters has been identified as fluorescein, an organic dye commonly used for diagnosing eye problems that poses no risk of pollution, Veneto’s governor Luca Zaia announced in a Tweet on Monday.
Earlier this month, climate activists from the “Ultima Generazione” group – which translates to “Last Generation” – climbed into the Trevi Fountain, poured black vegetable charcoal into the water and held up banners saying “We won’t pay for fossil (fuels)” in Rome. The group asked “for an immediate stop to public subsidies to all fossil fuels” after deadly floods hit Emilia-Romagna in northern Italy, the group said in a statement on their website.
The group denied involvement with the stunt when asked by CNN’s Barbie Latza Nadeau and Sophie Tanno.
Has Venice’s Grand Canal changed color before?
During the annual 1968 Venice Biennale, Argentine artist Nicolás García Uriburu transformed the canal waters green with Fluorescein, according to the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET).
The act was not part of the festival’s official program. According to the MET, Uriburu used the “ecologically harmless” dye to show “the relationship between nature and civilization and to promote ecological consciousness as a critical part of culture.”
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