by Chiara Falduto | Apr 21, 2015 | The Urban Media Lab
Starting from the 17th of April, the department of Engineering of the Environment and the Territory of the University of Calabria is presenting a series of seminars covering the topics of the safeguard and the monitoring of the territory.
The seminars will take place in the buildings of the University of Calabria in Arcavacata, a small town near Cosenza.
The series of seminars will be distributed in four days:
April 17th at 9:00 – The focus of the first meeting will be on how it is possible to transform the territory. The seminar will begin with the greetings of Girolamo Giordano, the dean of the university. Following the debate will start, with the participation of professor Mendicino (University of Calabria), professor Celani (University of Calabria) and the architect Caruso (Cematelier).
May 8th at 9:00 – The second seminar will cover the topic of the governance of the territory. In this second meeting LabGov will be involved, thanks to the participation of professor Christian Iaione. To the debate will also participate architect Vitellio (COS) and professor Mazzitelli (University of Calabria).
May 15th at 9:00 – The focus of the third seminar will be on recycling the territory. To the debate will participate professor Ricci (University of Genova), architect Nava (University of Reggio Calabria) and professor Ferrucci (University of Calabria).
May 28th at 15:00 – The series of seminars will conclude with a debate about how the territory can be administered. Professor Maiolo (University of Calabria) and professor Rossi (University of Calabria) will participate. Finally the conclusion will be held by engineer Mazzuca (Cematelier) and professor Cannavò (University of Calabria).
The seminars will surely be a great moment to share ideas and thoughts on a theme that today is very important and which needs the active participation of the citizens.
A complete program of the seminars is available here
A partire dal 17 Aprile, l’Università della Calabria presenterà un ciclo di seminari sul Progettare il territorio e monitorare l’ambiente.
Il ciclo di seminari sarà distribuito in quattro giornate. LabGov sarà particolarmente coinvolto durante la seconda giornata (8 Maggio), con la partecipazione del professor Iaione che parlerà del governare il territorio.
I seminari avranno luogo nelle strutture dell’Università della Calabria, ad Arcacavata.
by Chiara Falduto | Mar 13, 2015 | The Urban Media Lab
In today’s society topics such as environmental and territorial issues are increasingly gaining importance. The impact that pollution has on the Planet we are living in is of central importance in many debates. Often, though, speeches are not enough to sensitize the population on such a delicate subject.
In this context, a new project has risen: ArtAbout. ArtAbout is an Open and Integrated Project Platform that aims at denouncing all the environmental issues surrounding us through the use of art. Indeed, since the very beginning of mankind, art has been a great tool for reaching towards men’s hearts by representing from a critical point of view uncomfortable matters.
The first theme that ArtAbout wants to deal with is the pollution caused by petrol, which represents a great problem especially in the Italian region Basilicata. Through the competition ArtAboutOIL, artists and publishers from all over the world are called to propose a project for a film work on site aimed at sensitizing the people about the oil issue.
Allelammie, Casa Netural, IAC – Centre of Integrated Art and SassieMurgia are the sponsors of ArtAbout: four Lucan agents that work in the field of social innovation and creativity. Launching the project ArtAboutOIL they want to restate their commitment to innovation and improvement of territorial and cultural issues by transmitting a message about the importance of safeguarding the wonderful Lucan territory before it gets seriously damaged by pollution.
As written in the grant, the sponsors have not received any kind of external founding for the project. This is why ArtAboutOIL not only calls artists to participate, but is also looking for investors that are willing to “donate” some money that will help to provide basic tools that will help to realize the project and will also help to found the winner’s prize: a 10 day stay in Basilicata, during which he or she will be able to realize the video-project proposed. Investing even a little amount of resources in ArtAboutOil will surely be a great symbolic act that will have an even greater impact especially in the local territory. In fact, it is important to understand that only through small actions we can hope to mobilize greater mechanisms of solidarity and union.
The kind of art that ArtAbout wants to enhance is a “partecipative art”, which means that people will not only be asked to observe the wonderful creations that the artists will produce but will also have to look at them critically, and will have to appeal their sense of civic duty to improve their community afterwards. We could also talk about a “360degrees-art” which wants to tell in an innovative way the reality of energetic production and its related issues. A reality which now more than ever is of great importance and of which we all need to become aware of.
_______________________________________________________________________
ArtAbout è una Piattaforma Progettuale Aperta e Integrata lanciata da quattro realtà Lucane che operano dell’ambito dell’innovazione sociale. In ArtAbout l’arte diventa il principale strumento per comunicare e diffondere messaggi relativi l’importanza della salvaguardia del territorio, dell’ambiente e delle culture locali.
Con il progetto ArtAboutOIL, ArtAbout vuole concentrarsi sul tema del petrolio in Basilicata; argomento molto importante che copre non solo tematiche relative all’inquinamento dell’ambiente ma anche alla questione delle politiche energetiche. In questo contesto artisti e produttori sono chiamati a partecipare ad ArtAboutOIL, creando un video focalizzato su questo problema.
ArtAbout non riceve nessun finanziamento esterno ed è per questo che fa appello anche a possibili investitori che desiderino contribuire economicamente alla realizzazione di questo progetto.
Con ArtAbout si parla di arte partecipata, dove ogni individuo è chiamato a rielaborare in maniera critica i messaggi trasmessi dagli artisti ed impegnarsi per migliorare la realtà che lo circonda.
by Chiara Falduto | Feb 20, 2015 | The Urban Media Lab
Starting from March 2015, the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate will finally be opened on the Boston campus of the University of Massachusetts . The Institute takes its name after the Senator Ted Kennedy who, in 2003, first envisioned the project consisting of the creation of a centre of learning that will educate the people about the Senate of the United States and in particular about the legislative process. The experience will help promoting democracy, cooperation and problem solving techniques.
During the visit, 100 visitors will be able to take part in a loyal reproduction of the US Senate and, pretending to be a senator, will be able to see firsthand how the debates and the legislative procedures are daily carried out at governmental level. Besides the more “practical” part, the centre offers some classrooms where the people will be able to get some more theoretical notions. Of course the whole thing will be carried out in an absolutely non-partisan way in order to guarantee a smooth and trustworthy functioning of the experience.
It is interesting to notice that the Institute will be open to everyone and therefore not only will surely catch the attention of people belonging to all kinds of social position and with different education levels but will also attract tourists coming from every part of the world. This randomly-born “melting pot” will be asked to join some legislation debates, providing a great opportunity for everyone to get in touch with new ideas and different points of view and also to elaborate some strategies to find a solution to the settlement of disputes which are born from obvious ideological differences. In daily life it is easy to cooperate with people that you have chosen to work with or that you know well, but the challenge that the Institute offers is unique: the collaboration with people that don’t know each other and that belong to completely different social backgrounds.
The most important aim of the institute, therefore, is not only to teach the people how the Senate works in a “mechanical” sense; it rather wants to show how it works in a more practical way, stressing the importance of cooperation in everyday life. After the experience the people will be able to return to their communities and reproduce in their life the cooperation methods they have learned, helping to promote a more efficient and a better environment.
——————————
A Marzo 2015 verrà inaugurato a Boston l’Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate, un centro ideato nel 2003 dal Senatore Kennedy con l’obiettivo di insegnare alla popolazione il funzionamento del Senato americano, focalizzandosi soprattutto sul processo legislativo.
Durante la visita all’istituto le persone presenti avranno la possibilità di riprodurre ciò che avviene quotidianamente all’interno del Senato e potranno discutere leggi, partecipare a dibattiti e scendere a compromessi.
L’esperienza che il centro offre è un’ottima opportunità per persone provenienti da diversi strati sociali e da diverse parti del mondo per imparare nuovi metodi di collaborazione che poi potranno impiegare nelle loro comunità una volta tornati a casa.
