From democracy to climate change, from soil as a material to the design of public spaces: these are some of the themes that students from the Faculty of Design and Arts at unibz worked on in their semester projects. The results can be seen on January 26th and 27th at the traditional GOG (Gäste-Ospiti-Guests) exhibition.
The works, installations and products resulting from the creative confrontation can be admired in the rooms and studios of the Faculty of Design and Arts. More than 300 students from design, art and ecosocial design courses dealt with the most diverse themes in 22 projects in the winter semester 23/24.
For example, students from the field of “Visual Communication” under the leadership of the teaching team Christian Upmeier, Matteo Campostrini and Marcello Barison, together with around 100 high school students from Bozen-Gries, Eppan and Mölten, asked about the values. in the project “Soundwalk – Designing for Democracy” and rules of democracy. As part of this specific contribution to political education for the 12 to 14 year old age group, different aspects of democracy were discussed in a playful way in joint research laboratories and the content developed was implemented in a radio play/soundwalk as a sound performance. In collaboration with a theater director, those involved developed an interactive performance that will be shown in participating secondary schools between the 22nd and 25th of January.
Students at the Studio Exhibition explored the theme of the spatial dimension that arises through rituals – religious, pagan, sporting or others – in connection with the Alpine context. After observing, studying and learning from existing rituals, they worked to update them, taking into account the fact that the ecological context is increasingly characterized by ecological crises and climate emergencies. Due to its nature, the project will be presented on Sunday, January 28th, from 2pm to 6pm, in Oberbozen. It's an event with a parade that starts at the Ritten cable car and ends with a party at Café Fink in Oberbozen. On Friday, January 26, the studio where the project is presented will be sprinkled with road salt to make the traces of visitors visible.
Students in the “Design and Materials” discipline addressed another ecological topic with professor Aart van Bezooijen in the “Finding On Soil” project. They treated the floor as a do-it-yourself material. In practical exercises, they researched the properties and uses of the soil and discussed their future prospects. Using the BITZ fablab, they developed experimental kits to (re)establish the connection between people and the soil.
In view of current social, ecological and agro-cultural debates, the project “A é para a Açã – Da Fruta à Paisagem Cultural” was created with local stakeholders and companies: the students developed it together with the Associação VI.P de Vinschgau Fruit and vegetable producers in the study area “Product Design”, a series of design projects ranging from fruit to cultural landscapes. They were inspired by the EU's “Green Deal” initiative and exchanged ideas with agricultural critics.
International students from the Master's program in Eco-Social Design and local actors creatively dealt with the needs, desires and ideas of residents of the Dom Bosco neighborhood of Bolzano. The focus was on questions about the use of public space, the decline of green spaces, the importance of nature in the city, social cohesion and the role of play in everyday life.
A tour of this plethora of creative ideas and innovative suggestions, including personal conversations with students, is open to all interested. The exhibition on the Bolzano campus can be seen next Friday, from 6pm to 9pm, and on Saturday, from 11am to 5pm.
Consultation note: Libera Università di Bolzano Free University of Bozen Seal and event organization Press and event management Libera Università di Bolzano – Free University of Bozen Piazzetta Innerhofer, 8 – Innerhoferplatz 8 39100 Bolzano – Bozen +39 0471 011 500 press@unibz .it