Pietro Gardoni: “Water in frozen streams is beautiful and in some of its details offers everything I look for: mainly forms in constant motion but also play of light and reflections. ”
Born in Brescia (Italy) in 1980
I discover art late, around age of 30, and it was shocking and total. At the beggining there was painting, abstract, gestural and informal. Now i
I am moving to performing art, video and new medias, but in everything I do the performing act is fundamental, in painting as in filming in the middle of a wild river.
I spent last 7 years with my mother sick of Alzheimer and one day I will put all the love of this experience in some specific artworks. But now it’s time to work on the nature, wild an free. Currently living in Camonica Valley (central italian alps)
What was your main source of inspiration for creating this documentary on water and frozen streams?
The main source of inspiration is definitely abstract painting, in particular American Abstract Expressionism and European Art Informel.
Nature brings joy to our eyes not only in the overall view of the landscape but also in its microscopic details.
In particular, water in frozen streams is beautiful and in some of its details offers everything I look for: mainly forms in constant motion but also play of light and reflections. I decided not to post-produce the images so as not to alter their naturalness, so the various shades of color depend only on the quantity and speed of the water, the thickness of the ice layers, and of course the external light.
What are the main impacts of climate change you have observed on frozen streams during the making of the video?
“Water and Ice” is a project I have been carrying forward for 3 years and I think I will continue for a long time, creating more videos intended for multiscreen installations in museums or in single screen version for festivals. Entering the same streams in different years is also a way to monitor the effects of climate change. The winter that is ending has been very warm and not very snowy, in fact, I had to go significantly higher in elevation to find the ideal conditions for filming, fortunately, this year the watercourses were definitely more charged compared to previous years marked by drought.
How did you manage the logistical and technical challenges of making videoart on a topic as vast and complex as water and glaciers?
Filming inside a frozen stream requires the ability to move in the environment and utmost caution even in the smallest movements. I found myself working some mornings at temperatures below -15 degrees Celsius, and in certain situations getting a foot wet is not only annoying but also dangerous.
When I go filming, I move with 3 pairs of gloves: a thermal underglove, another glove that allows me to operate the camera, and a last ski glove that I take off when I need to film and put back on when I move. Also, the video camera starts to operate anomalously at certain temperatures, and I have always had the impression that rechargeable batteries last less on colder days.
What is the main message you would like the audience to take home after watching your film?
Simply that nature is beautiful. That it should be respected and safeguarded should be the logical consequence.
THE AUTHOR
Name: Pietro Gardoni
Film: “Acqua e ghiaccio”