Italian Limes

An exploration of shifting national boundaries driven by climate change anchored this interactive installation developed with Studio Folder. My work focused on embedded systems, interaction design, and remote sensing to reveal how the border between Italy and Austria moves as the Similaun glacier melts. Translating an invisible geopolitical and ecological phenomenon into a tangible experience required designing a custom measurement system deployed in extreme Alpine conditions and connecting it to a live exhibition space.

I built and installed a network of custom sensor units on the glacier at 3,300 meters above sea level. I integrated high-precision barometers into each unit to measure vertical displacement, pairing them with reference sensors anchored to stable rock outcrops to isolate glacial movement from noise. Because high-altitude connectivity was severely limited, I utilized 2G GSM modules to broadcast telemetry in small data packets. These coordinates were transmitted to a remote server and processed to drive an automated drawing machine I prototyped using an Arduino board and Processing.

Deploying hardware in an exposed, high-altitude environment introduced severe constraints around power management, extreme cold, and network reliability. I had to ensure the sensor grid was robust enough to operate autonomously for months without physical maintenance, requiring rigorous testing of battery life and anchoring methods in ice and snow. In the exhibition space, I integrated the live data stream into a mechanical plotter that traced the shifting border onto paper. This required iterating on the drawing machine's mechanics so it could reliably translate continuous telemetry into a real-time, physical representation.

The system successfully documented the border's latest positions, allowing visitors to collect custom-printed maps generated by the live data. The installation debuted at the Venice Architecture Biennale, where it received a Special Mention at La Biennale di Venezia. It subsequently traveled to exhibitions in Istanbul and Milan. The project was awarded a Silver Medal at European Design Awards and was ultimately acquired into the Permanent Collection at V&A Museum.