One week after leaving Locarno, sitting at my lab desk and reflecting on my experience at the Locarno Film Festival feels almost unreal. The ten days I spent in Ticino were completely different from my everyday life in every imaginable aspect. In fact, it was my first chance to take science out of the lab and share it with a group of people who do not work in my field. On one hand, it was surprising to see how quickly I found common ground with artists regarding the desire to have an impact on the world we live in. On the other hand, it was clear that as a scientist, I work in the field of facts and observations, whereas artists work in the field of emotions.
In addition to the enrichment of meeting people with very different, if not opposite, careers, the Locarno Film Festival and the BaseCamp pop-up itself is a gathering of different cultures, languages, and perspectives, which is rare to find but, in my opinion, necessary to foster new ideas and creativity. Every evening, at the BaseCamp, discussions about our opinions on the future, our everyday fears, and challenges were warming the atmosphere. For me, it was a great and rare chance to learn and question myself.
Besides the vibrant environment of the BaseCamp pop-up, many films shown at the festival were an occasion to explore critical topics that I usually take for granted. In fact, many films, such as “Mexico 86” and “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” represented crucial themes like freedom of speech and expression, the right to study, the need for political engagement, unconditional love from family, and action for peace.
One of the most surprising things about the festival is that alongside these deep and meaningful discussions, there is a lot of fun, fueled by parties and various evening events ranging from karaoke to DJ sets.
On the practical side, the BaseCamp is also a very unique experience. During my stay, I slept in an elementary school in a room with 11 other women and shared breakfast with all the other basecampers (I am not a morning person) in the heat of August in Ticino. Stefano Knuchel, the main organizer of the BaseCamp, encouraged us to take the chance to embrace discomfort and leave behind the comfort we are used to. Eventually, this was also an opportunity to grow.
As a “ticinese,” it was a great honor for me to participate in such an event in my canton of origin. In fact, I left Ticino when I was 19 and never returned. Seeing that great events and communities can be created there was very inspiring and opened my eyes to the possibilities of participating more in the growth and life of Ticino.
Lastly, and perhaps the most inspiring activity I participated in, was the visit of the kids to the pop-up. On that occasion, my fellow ambassadors and I showed, as we did with other basecampers, a part of our everyday routine—which mainly includes lab coats, pipettes, and, nowadays, robots—to elementary school kids. At that moment, I really felt I was having an impact.
Giulia
My name is Giulia, and I am a biophysics PhD student from Lugano. My “why-phase” started as I was a kid and possibly never ended. In fact, I always had a great curiosity towards nature and its way of functioning. This inclination led me to my current job in Basel where I investigate how mechanical properties of cells, e.g., their stiffness or tension, influence their biological behavior. In fact, in addition to biochemical stimuli as neurotransmitters or hormones, physical stimuli within tissues also affect many aspects of biological processes as cell division, migration and tissue morphogenesis. What has always fascinated me about this field of research, namely mechanobiology, is the beauty behind biological mechanisms which appear very complex at first but often reveal an intrinsic simplicity and originality in the way they function.
Before science, music had a remarkable impact on my personality and character over the years. In fact, as a child I was a very quiet and shy girl almost afraid of my shadow. It was only by playing the violin for almost ten years that I developed the spontaneous, enthusiastic, and outgoing personality I am usually described with.
Participating at the Locarno Film Festival gives me great pleasure for several motivations. Firstly, going back to my canton is a rather rare occasion as often my peers and I leave these beautiful landscapes for better opportunities in other parts of Switzerland. Also, I am eager to participate as it would be one of the very sporadic opportunities to take the science out of the lab. Nevertheless, what I am really looking forward to, is the diversity in terms of people and perspectives I will meet and engage with during these ten days. In fact, one of my greatest interests in life is meeting people, getting to know their viewpoints and share my enthusiasm for science. Lastly, and certainly less important I am also secretly hoping that this time in Locarno will push me to pursue with more consistency my secret passion for video editing.
