This project is part of my ongoing research on the violence of the invisible, which I began in 2020. It explores forms of violence that are not typically associated with instruments of cruelty—domestic violence that eventually extends into public spaces.

In this case, it focuses on the manipulation of water temperature as a tool of cruelty, a practice that has claimed the lives of numerous children in Portugal. Bathing, rather than being an act of cleansing, relaxation, or renewal, becomes a means of exerting control over children’s bodies.

These bodies slowly become accustomed to the torture of both scalding and freezing water. The horror becomes most evident when, even as the water boils, the children do not scream—while their internal organs burn in silence.

Drawing from testimonies, the following questions arose:

Can we create a rebellion of memory?



Can art comfort the heart?



Can their cruel fate continue to move us? Can it still spark outrage? Or have we become quicker to forget than to demand justice?



Why does the existence of a tragedy give rise to more tragedies?


Can you smell violence in the water?



How many candles are needed to create and spread light?



Where does hope reside?