ABOUT
A handmade raft becomes a mobile measuring station that floats on the Rhine as an unconventional research instrument.
This structure encourages direct engagement with the river landscapes and with the people, ecologies and institutions that form around the river.
Rooted in pre-industrial rafting, the project reflects on how industrial standards have shaped our relationship with rivers.
At each station, conversations with scientists, ethnologists and engineers will provide site-specific insights into missing parameters,
which will later be translated into visual and spatial interventions.
Instead of transporting goods, the raft carries stories, knowledge and alternative ways of knowing.
Each documentary episode addresses gaps in recorded history, while archival publications compare standards and values along the Rhine,
bringing knowledge back to institutions and crossing rigid borders of responsibility.
Laurin Böhm's evolving design process transforms the raft into a platform for exchange, turning the river into a shared space of connection.
SITES OF INVESTIGATION I
Rheinwaldhorn (CH)
Schwarzwald (GER)
Bundesanstalt für Wasserbau (GER)
BASF Chemicals Company (GER)
ICPR Koblenz (GER)
Duisburg Port (GER)
De IJsselkop (NL)
Houthaven (NL)
Schwarzwald (GER)
Bundesanstalt für Wasserbau (GER)
BASF Chemicals Company (GER)
ICPR Koblenz (GER)
Duisburg Port (GER)
De IJsselkop (NL)
Houthaven (NL)
RHEINWALDHORN
EPIOSDODE 01 – S01 I
A journey into Läntagletscher—one of the Rhine’s primary alpine sources—reveals a landscape shaped by tension; a glacier whose accelerated melting and water extraction remains largely unmeasured, even as it feeds major Swiss hydroelectric systems downstream. At the glacier’s edge, the raft transforms into a solitary sensing pole, anchored by the surrounding geology. Here body and object work in tandem; observing and sensing the water’s behavior—where the urgency of climate change meets the silence of missing data.
Observational activities performed:
– Water temperature, Hydro-thermometer
– River soundscape, Hydrophone
– Water flow rate, Custom vessel + piping apparatus
– Snowflake shape, 2mm gridded plate
Featuring the voices of:
– Dr. Petra Schmocker-Fackel (Chief of staff - Department of Hydrology), BAFU (Bundesamt für Umwelt / Federal Office for the Environment), Switzerland
– Dr. Elizabeth Case (Glaciologist), Utrecht University, The Netherlands
BAW: BUNDESANSTALT FÜR WASSERBAU (GER)
EPIOSDODE 02 – S01 I
A visit to Germany’s Federal Waterways Engineering and Research Institute (BAW) places the Rhine’s industrial presence into perspective. In this world of large-scale models, the demands of industry confront the challenges of a river that is gradually shallowing.
Set within a decommissioned 1:10 model, the raft becomes a bench—bridging hydraulic simulations with questions of embodying scale —inviting hydrological specialists to sit and engage in conversation.
Observational activities performed:
– Water temperature, Hydro-thermometer
– River soundscape, Hydrophone
– Water flow rate, Custom vessel + piping apparatus
– Riverbed granules, 2mm gridded plate
Featuring the voices of:
– Dr. Roman B. Weichert-Walthaner (Head of Department, Hydraulic Engineering in Inland Areas), Federal Waterways Engineering and Research Institute (BAW)
– Udo Pfrommer (civil engineer), Federal Waterways Engineering and Research Institute (BAW)
DE IJSSELKOP (NL)
EPIOSDODE 03 – S01 I
A trip to De IJsselkop — the point where the Rhine finally splits — reveals the invisible forces of shipping and bifurcation at a critical node in the Dutch delta, vital for navigation and flood management. Here, the raft traverses the river as both a sensing device and a performative action—moving along it’s edge while recording and making visible data from this tightly controlled stretch of water.
Observational activities performed:
– Water temperature, Hydro-thermometer
– River soundscape, Hydrophone + Zoom field recorder
Featuring the voice of:
– Dr. Christian Zumbrägel (History of technology, environment and science), TU Berlin, Germany
Research:
– Dr. Martijn AntheunisseEcological researcher), KWR Watercycle Research Institute, The Netherlands
– Dr. Christian Zumbrägel (History of technology, environment and science), TU Berlin, Germany