A hail cannon is a shock wave generator claimed to disrupt the formation of hailstones in

the atmosphere.

These devices are frequently used by winemakers in the Langhe territory: they are

repeatedly fired every 1 to 10 seconds while a storm is approaching and until it has passed

through the area.

Although there is no scientific evidence for their effectiveness, farmers persevere in the use

of such an unconventional method.

At the end of March 2020, as soon as I graduated in Medicine, I was hired together with

sixteen peers to build a Covid-19 ward from scratch within a hospital still under

construction.

With few tools and as much knowledge we persevered: in the meantime, a handful of

retired professionals took us by the hand demonstrating that, at times, an unlikely solution

can lead to the best results.

We were the hail cannons.

The narrative is intimate, blurred and slowly traces the stages that marked this window of

life. The isolation in a hotel structure; the Langhe territory paused and frozen in time;

fragments of hospital still waiting to find their place; glimpses of daily life in the ward.

 

This photographic story is concluded by a scientific article written by the entire medical

team and by an audio recording of a rainy evening in which the noise of the hail guns breaks

the peace of the fragile Langhe hills.