From Structure to Science:
Documenting the Making of RV Thuwal II
04/01/2026
Context
The construction of RV Thuwal II, the new research vessel for King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), is currently underway at Astilleros Freire (Vigo, Spain).
With the keel laid in April 2025, the project has moved beyond its initial structural phase and is now entering a decisive moment: the transformation of a completed structure into a fully operational scientific instrument. Laboratories, systems, workflows, and people converge to give the vessel its final purpose.
This project page presents a proposal to document that transformation.
Rather than attempting to retrospectively reconstruct early construction stages, the focus is placed deliberately on the late-phase build, where engineering precision, scientific intent, and human expertise align.
Purpose
The objective is to create a high-quality visual documentation—photographic and filmic—of the final construction stages of RV Thuwal II, producing material that serves:
As an institutional and historical archive
As a communication and outreach resource
As educational material around marine science infrastructure
As a long-term visual record of KAUST’s commitment to ocean research
The approach is documentary, observational, and process-driven, prioritizing clarity and legacy over promotion.
Documentary Perspective
From Structure to Science
At this stage of the build, the vessel is no longer defined by steel alone. Meaning emerges through:
Systems integration
Scientific outfitting
Human decision-making
Calibration, testing, and refinement
This proposal treats the ship not as an object nearing completion, but as a system coming to life.
The narrative focuses on how science becomes operational—quietly, precisely, and over time.
Visual Language
The visual approach is calm, restrained, and observational:
Emphasis on process rather than spectacle
Attention to material, scale, and gesture
Balance between wide structural views and intimate human moments
Respect for technical, safety, and confidentiality environments
Repetition, slowness, and incremental change are embraced as narrative elements rather than avoided.
Documentation Structure
Three Two-Day Documentation Visits
The project is structured around three focused two-day documentation visits (six on-site days in total), aligned with key late-stage milestones of the build.
These six days form the baseline scope of the documentation, ensuring narrative coherence and sufficient temporal depth.
At the same time, the structure is intentionally flexible. Industrial and scientific processes do not always unfold according to fixed calendars, and certain moments of particular relevance may emerge during the course of the work.
For this reason, the number and timing of visits can be adjusted in dialogue with KAUST if:
Additional milestones are identified as significant
Unforeseen moments of high documentary value arise
It becomes clear during the process that further continuity would strengthen the narrative
Any additional documentation days beyond the initial six would be discussed, agreed upon, and scheduled transparently.
Focus Areas May Include:
Scientific laboratories and research spaces
Deck equipment and mission-specific systems
Interior workflows and functional layouts
Engineers, technicians, and specialists at work
Pre-launch readiness and final adjustments
Each visit is conceptually distinct, contributing a specific chapter to the overall narrative.
Continuity & Narrative Coherence
Industrial and scientific processes evolve slowly. Rather than continuous presence, this documentation relies on anchored observation:
Returning to the same spaces across visits
Tracking subtle transformations over time
Allowing absence between visits to give meaning to change
The resulting narrative reflects how complex systems mature—through patience, repetition, and accumulated expertise.
Deliverables
Photography
Curated photographic archive (chronological and thematic)
Selection of HERO images for institutional use
Images suitable for reports, presentations, exhibitions, and web platforms
Film / Video
One short documentary film (5–8 minutes)
Optional chapter-based short edits (1–2 minutes each)
Material structured for long-term reuse and adaptation
All deliverables are produced with clearly defined scope and usage.
Practical Considerations
Minimal, non-intrusive production footprint
Documentation coordinated with KAUST and shipyard schedules
Full compliance with safety and confidentiality protocols
Phased structure aligned with construction realities
Travel and accommodation are coordinated efficiently and handled separately from production costs.
Timing Consideration
With the project already well underway, this proposal intentionally focuses on the vessel’s most meaningful transformation phase.
Rather than attempting to reconstruct the past, it captures the moment when engineering, science, and human expertise converge to define the vessel’s operational identity.