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Submission Number: 132
Submission ID: 180
Submission UUID: 95ef7812-e0c1-40e3-bd6c-d54716ad752c
Submission URI: /form/submit-contribution
Created: Sun, 22 Feb 2026 - 22:06
Completed: Sun, 22 Feb 2026 - 22:32
Changed: Wed, 13 May 2026 - 08:55
Remote IP address: 185.113.96.60
Submitted by: Costanza Julia Bani
Language: English
Is draft: No
Current page: webform_confirmation
Flagged: Yes
| Given name | Costanza Julia |
|---|---|
| Surname | Bani |
| costanzajulia.bani@uniarts.se | |
| I understand that by submitting this form, I consent to the use of my data for the purposes of the 2026 Forum on Artistic Research'. | Yes |
| I agree to the terms of service. | Yes |
| Title | Measuring a Nation / Unstable Grounds |
| Format | Roundtable contribution |
| Main language | English |
| Abstract | Measuring a Nation wants to investigate how climate-driven transformations of Alpine landscapes unsettle established notions of national borders and identity, nation building processes, sovereignty, land ownership, its consequent reshuffling, human migration routes, wildlife corridors and the sense of belonging, and how artistic practice can produce situated knowledge about these interconnected instabilities. With Measuring a Nation we will not just be documenting these issues but treat the filming process itself as part of the research. We want to work creatively with juxtapositions, where the cinematic devices and creative mapping will be used as measuring instruments themselves to create knowledge about the medium and the environments portrayed. The project departs from the observation that, in high-mountain environments, political borders are materially and lawfully anchored to natural formations such as glaciers, ridges, and watersheds. As glaciers retreat , landslides increase , and watersheds shift, these formations no longer function as stable reference points. Borders are dynamic, they move, creating legal, political, and symbolic uncertainty. While such processes are documented within geosciences, their broader geopolitical, cultural, and experiential implications remain under-explored, particularly through artistic research. Using the Alpine Arc as a case study, and the controversy surrounding the national responsibilities for its renovation of the Rifugio CAI Guide del Cervino on the Italian–Swiss border, as a central entry point, the project examines how borders are negotiated, measured, and experienced when the landscape itself is in flux. The Theodul glacier next to the Rifugio is melting, pushing borders along with it. As long as it shifted a dozen meters no one cared, but recent shifts moved the border by more than 150 meters on a lucrative spot, igniting an ownership conflict between Italy and Switzerland. |
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| Short biographies of the presenter(s) |
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| Previous presentations or iterations of the research | Measuring a Nation was presented in its first development stages at the Parse Conference in Gothenburg in November 2025, at the research week of my own University (Stockholm University of the Arts) in January 2026 and through my first fund to move forward through NAVET at the Reactor Hall at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm and at the artistic research week at Konstfack in Stockholm |
| Additional information | I would like to have a roundtable as a format to be able to gather as much feedback as possible from interested peers |
| Spatial and technical requirements | I just need a room with interested participants who might want to contribute to the growth of the artistic research project with their insights and expertise |
| Potential risks or ethical concerns | NA |
| Create a user account for SAR 2026 | Yes |
| Create new user | Costanza Julia Bani |