“Thermal Alchemy” — An Art Project by Sara Bonaventura at the Museum of Thermalism
A 15-minutevideo installation that offers a poetic reflection on the profound connection between water, ancient microorganisms, the environment, and the human psyche. The presentation took place on October 17 at the Museum of Ancient Thermal Baths and the Montegrotto Terme Region.
The one hosted by the Municipality of Montegrotto Terme is one of three artist residencies co-funded by WAMU-NET and S+T+Arts Aqua Motion. The process of designing and creating the work began in the fall of 2025 with an initial phase of scientific research and site visits in the Euganean Hills area, followed by many months of prototyping and artistic production involving numerous organizations in the Padua area, including, in addition to the museum itself, the Y-40 The Deep Joy swimming pool, the Pietro d’Abano Thermal Studies Center, and the University of Padua.
The artist chose to explore the composition of the Euganean thermal waters, which hold a the deep connection between water and life. These waters promote the growth of cyanobacteria, microorganisms that enrich the thermal mud with bioactive molecules, contributing to its therapeutic properties. Their history stretches back to ancient times: through photosynthesis, cyanobacteria helped oxygenate the Earth, transforming it and paving the way for the development of complex life forms. In the microcosm of mud, we thus find a connection between the history of the planet and body care. Thus, the work of Sara Bonaventura It explores the origins and healing properties of water, a source of well-being and health for humanity for millennia, dating back even before Roman times, as evidenced by prehistoric cults that associated thermal waters with Reitia, the Paleovenetian mother goddess.
A story that unfolds, in fact, within the museum itself through the artifacts on display there.
The work reconnects us to an ancestral dimension, wherewater is an element of care, healing, and regeneration: immersed in an imaginative and timeless realm reconstructed through the artist’s poetic work, freediver Julie Gautier dances among the thermal waters, creating a bridge between different geological eras and our present.
Sara Bonaventura’s installation was previewed as part of the 61st International Art Exhibition—Venice Biennale—and will now become a permanent part of the exhibition program at the Museum of Ancient Thermal Baths in Montegrotto Terme.
