Research Trip
Running Water – Research Trip to Val Camonica
Last updated
Running Water – Research Trip to Val Camonica
Last updated
In early April, we embarked on a five-day research trip to Val Camonica, Northern Italy, tracing the journey of water from the Presena Glacier all the way to Lake Iseo (Oglio river). The aim was to collectively explore water’s role in shaping landscapes, histories, and futures by mapping, sensing, and interacting with it in its various forms.
On the first day, we followed a hiking route through rivers, waterfalls, and forest trails, guided by Italo, who shared rich insights into the geological history of the valley, its glacial formation, and the central role of water in its identity and ecosystem. Along the way, Kevin and I began our own line of investigation: measuring and mapping different water sources to understand the heat exchange between the human body and water.
Using the Smart Citizen Kit, we measured pH levels in various bodies of water, ranging from flowing rivers to still ponds, while simultaneously using a thermal camera to record temperature data and capture the contrast between the warmth of my skin and the coldness of the environment. We also geolocated each site to build a precise map of our observations.
Here are the measurements from that day:
10:42
46.0832N, 10.40969E
7.2
7.19
11:12
46.08835N, 10.42265E
4.2
7.48
12:05
46.08904N, 10.4232E
5.3
7.71
12:20
46.09114N, 10.43201E
1.7
7.37
12:27
46.0915N, 10.43249E
1.4
7.48
This fieldwork connected directly to my personal project on sweat and thermoregulation. My original idea was to physically feel and visualize the heat exchange between my body and water, and to examine how variables like pH, movement (stagnant vs. flowing water), and temperature affect that interaction. This was not just about collecting data, but about embodying the exchange, experiencing vulnerability through cold, sensation, and bodily exposure.
Drawing from thermal science, heat exchange can occur through:
Conduction – direct contact (e.g. hand in ice).
Convection – heat loss due to fluid movement (e.g. cold river water).
Radiation – heat transfer without contact (less relevant here).
Evaporation – heat lost when sweat evaporates (more significant in air than water).
Water, with a much higher heat transfer coefficient than air, steals heat from the body 25–70 times faster, making the human body feel far colder in water than in air at the same temperature. Throughout the trip, I was interested in exploring how my skin, muscles, and breath responded to these different environments.
Initially, my approach was driven by a more scientific intention: to observe and analyze heat exchange between my body and water in different states and environments. However, by the end of the first day, it became clear that the water remained unchanged, its temperature static, its presence unmoved, while I suffered visibly. I realized that measuring numeric variations with thermal imaging alone was limiting, especially since the camera captured only still images and required complex calibration to detect changes over time.
This led me to shift my focus entirely, from data collection to an artistic, conceptual exploration of vulnerability. I began to reflect on the imbalance of power between my body and water, how cold water, rivers, ice, snow, and lakes dominated me, while I desperately sought to make them respond. From this realization emerged a new narrative: not of control, but of surrender.
I decided to work only with the thermal camera, leaving behind the rest of the sensors. To record footage on my own, I prototyped a handheld rig that combined a thermal camera and a GoPro. It proved unstable and, in the end, I relied on the help of Kevin, who patiently assisted me in capturing each vulnerable attempt.
On the second day, we ascended to nearly 3,000 meters, close to the glacier. There, I engaged with snow and ice, touching, sitting, melting, enduring. I screamed, I flinched, and the water, again, did not care. I also collected chunks of glacier ice to continue recording scenes back at the house. A notable observation was that untouched, fresh snow was far colder than snow that had already been walked on or compressed. The temperature difference between sun-warmed rocks and reflective snow also became apparent in thermal imaging.
We took a break from physical interaction with water to explore Val Camonica's prehistoric rock carvings, a UNESCO World Heritage site. These petroglyphs, spread across the valley, gave a glimpse into ancestral relationships with nature. The next day, we visited a hydroelectric power museum, learning how water has been harnessed for energy. While insightful, these excursions remained peripheral to the emotional and sensory thread of my personal investigation.
The last day brought us to Lake Iseo, where I performed the final act of my journey: fully immersing myself in the lake’s icy waters. I floated, disappeared into the blue, and closed the running water cycle. Rather than constructing a physical artefact, I chose to present my exploration through a video installation, the only format that could hold the rawness of each attempt and the intimacy of my vulnerability.
To enhance immersion during the final presentation, I transformed a domestic space into a sensory setting: laptops scattered across beds, a bathroom filled with steam from a hot shower, and a cold bedroom. Viewers moved between warmth and chill, comfort and discomfort, mirroring the contrast I experienced throughout the project.
I was deeply moved by the positive feedback. It was the first time I felt I had expressed something visceral and honest, not only about my relationship with water, but about myself. This project revealed a part of me I hadn’t explored. I’ve always had a fascination with the power of water, but had never fully surrendered to its indifference.
And now, I want to continue. Vulnerability became not a weakness, but a space of discovery. A place where the body is exposed, challenged, and ultimately transformed.
She was river, ice, lake, glacier. I tried everything to make her feel me. Hands, tongue, piss, cock. Again and again. My body, my breath, my pain offered. But she never flinched. She never changed. She stayed silent. I stayed small.
No screams left. No warmth. I became hers, finally quiet in her indifference.
