PICTORIAL STORY
November 1, 2023
I AM WATER
A VERY PERSONAL PROJECT
Photography and words by Paola Ferrarotti
Conclusion by Melanie Meggs
A tribute to the element Water.
Dive.
Dilute.
Lose fears.
Who are you in the water?
Are you another me?
You quiver like a sea-fish.
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Why was I born, what is my purpose here and how should I understand life? The imperative search for clues to help me get even close to glimpsing answers to these questions has always been present in me.
Every time I come into contact with water, every time I immerse my body in a pool, a lake, the sea, I know that I am embarking on a transformative inner journey. Water teaches me, teaches me to relax, to listen to my deepest voice, to adapt to my circumstances and to renew myself. In the water I know I am entering a journey of exploring the depths of my own potential.
I love spending long periods of time in the water. It transports me. It transforms me. It teaches me to know myself. Floating and immersing myself in the water is each time a journey into myself, where I encounter my deepest thoughts and emerge a little changed.
Who am I in the water? In silence, in the water, I embark on a journey towards a hidden part of myself that helps me to understand my life a little better each time. Where I realize that the answers would probably never completely arrive but I feel at peace with that. Where I accept life as it is. Where my fears dilute.
In the water I shiver like a sea fish.
Was Anaximander right with his theory?
Diving into water is like re-entering the womb. A unique sensation. With my head, with all my body under water, my senses explode. I feel “everything”.
The frequency and intensity of my vibration become even higher. Water connects me with my innermost. And I feel calm and at peace. I feel the connection to All.
When I am immersed in water, I feel that I return to the beginning of everything. I return to water, which is not only water. I return to Herman Hesse's voice of Life, to the Voice of Being, to the Voice of Perpetual Becoming.
Water hits me.
It wakes me up.
It caresses me.
It makes me bristle.
I close my eyes.
Everything is an intimate ceremony.
My skin transmits messages.
My fears dilute.
…Oft saßen sie am Abend gemeinsam beim Ufer auf dem Baumstamm, schwiegen und hörten beide dem Wasser zu, welches für sie kein Wasser war, sondern die Stimme des Lebens, die Stimme des Seienden, des ewig Werdenden. - H. Hesse, Siddharta
...Often in the evening they sat together on the tree trunk by the shore, both silent and listened to the water, which for them was not water, but the voice of life, the voice of being, of the eternally becoming. - H. Hesse, Siddharta
Paola Ferrarotti’s work moves beyond simple documentation; it is an act of seeing and revealing. Raised in Rosario, Argentina, she was drawn early to the wider world, compelled to explore its many facets and stories.
After completing studies in Political Science and International Relations, a visit to her sister in Heidelberg, Germany, became a turning point. What began as a short stay grew into a new chapter, where photography found its true meaning.
Paola views reality as complex and layered, often difficult to grasp fully. Her images seek to reflect this depth — not to explain, but to express what lies beneath the surface, shaped by her experience and feeling. Her projects — Nature Saves Us, German Voices Crying Out for Freedom, and The Yoke of Afghan Women — invite reflection on struggle, resilience, and hope. They challenge us to witness and understand.
Photography becomes a dialogue, a way to connect with the world’s many truths. Paola’s journey is ongoing, and her vision continues to unfold.
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author/s, and are not necessarily shared by The Pictorial List and the team.