Notes on Water, Fluid Potentialities of an Intermedial Metaphor (8-May)
Organised by Alice Parrinello and Marco Ruggieri, the event Notes on Water: Fluid Potentialities of an Intermedial Metaphor took place at the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (IASH) at the University of Edinburgh on 8 May 2025. Funded by the Society for Italian Studies and IASH, the event sought to explore, alongside scholars and artists from a range of locations and disciplines, the symbolic use of water in social and artistic narratives. By focusing on the symbolic and critical functions of water across various geocultural contexts (Latin America, Italy, and Scotland), the event was well attended and drew a diverse and multidisciplinary audience.
The first part of the day featured Magnus Course (Professor of Creative Anthropology at the University of Edinburgh and film producer) and Alastair Cole (Senior Lecturer in Film Practice at Newcastle University and documentary filmmaker), who introduced the screening of their film Iorram – Boat Song (2021). Iorram is the first cinema documentary entirely in Scots Gaelic and explores the role of the sea in shaping collective narratives within the fishing communities of the Outer Hebrides. The film sparked considerable interest, not only for its portrayal of the Outer Hebrides community but also for its important contribution to environmental discussions.
In the second part of the day, Geoffrey Maguire (Associate Professor of Spanish at Gonville & Caius College, University of Cambridge) presented a paper entitled ‘Un/Natural: Marine Sexualities and the Queer Ecological’. In this talk, Maguire examined the representation of the marine environment in various Latin American films and artistic performances, showing how these representations converge in questioning the concept of the natural/unnatural in relation to gender, sexuality, and, more broadly, identity. In particular, he critically engaged with the concept of fluidity in queer environmental studies, offering a new perspective on the topic.
The final part of the event featured a graphic journalling workshop conceived and delivered by Italian artist Nicoz Balboa, whose eclectic body of work has long explored the metaphorical role of water and issues relating to the fluidity of identity. First, Balboa offered a brief overview of both the practice of graphic journalling (by providing visual examples and an historical perspective) and then of its influence on his own work. Then, he led the workshop, inviting participants to engage in drawing without inhibition. They were encouraged to let go of fear or embarrassment in their drawing style and, afterward, to reflect on their day. Fluidity was central to the workshop, as Balboa promoted both a fluid self-reckoning and a visually fluid aesthetic, as drawings were layered one atop another, and water appeared in various representations.
Overall, the event highlighted the crucial role of water within an interdisciplinary framework, as well as its potential for future research.