Re-systeming our world: Looking into and beyond the end of winter
ReSystem Lab
Morning session (10:00-12:00): The working group is open to experts and stakeholders to start reflecting and sharing ideas and experiences around the topic the “End of Winter” from a multidisciplinary perspective and diverse practices. A “More-Than-Human approach” will be used by collaborating with an AI as a tool for supporting the dialogue within the Working Session.
Afternoon session (13:00-15:00): Starting from the morning session’s outcomes, it will be a hands-on workshop for speculative scenario building about topics, like climate change, food systems, systemic design. We will collaborate with an AI as a tool to produce generated images representing a visual synthesis of the ideas.
Are we really facing the End of Winter?
In this workshop, we will be exploring the potential future impacts of climate change on the winter season in the Trentino Alto-Adige/Sudtyrol region, imagining both utopian and dystopian scenarios that could emerge from this transition. As the impacts of climate change continue to intensify, the winter season in the Trentino Alto-Adige/Sudtyrol region is becoming increasingly uncertain. While this could pose significant challenges to many systems, including energy production, agriculture, and tourism, it could also present opportunities for innovative solutions that help to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
Over the past decade, there has been a growing recognition of the urgent need to address the socio-environmental and technical challenges posed by the new Climatic Regime described by Bruno Latour. The increasing impact of global warming has highlighted the need for proactive action to address the irreversible changes that are already underway and anticipate the potential massive changes that could result. As noted by IPCC’s latest report, the impacts of climate change are accelerating and no single action will be sufficient to avoid the most severe impacts. Therefore, a participatory multiscale perspective is essential to address the issue in a comprehensive way, considering the social and environmental impacts of climate change across different scales and involving diverse stakeholders in the decision-making process.
To tackle this challenge, we propose an approach that begins by recognizing the complexity and urgency of the issue at hand, acknowledging the irreversible changes that are already underway. From there, we can engage in a participatory multiscale perspective to explore the potential impacts and generate ideas for innovative solutions. Our approach involves bringing together experts from various disciplines, such as food scientists, designers, and farmers, to collaboratively map the complex web of problems and systems affected by climate change. By engaging with artificial intelligence and using the methods and projections of Design Fiction, we can envision possible future scenarios and generate ideas for new product-service systems that could help mitigate the impacts of climate change.
Our approach is grounded in the recognition that the challenges posed by climate change require a multidisciplinary and participatory approach that engages diverse stakeholders in the decision-making process. Participatory approaches have been found to be effective in addressing complex socio-environmental challenges and promoting sustainable development. Furthermore, a multiscale perspective is essential to understanding the interconnected nature of social and environmental systems and identifying the potential impacts of climate change across different scales (O’Brien et al., 2009). By adopting a participatory multiscale perspective, we can develop innovative and comprehensive solutions that address the challenges posed by the contemporary Climatic Regime.
Moreover it involves recognizing the urgency and complexity of the challenge posed by climate change, engaging in a participatory multiscale perspective, and using Design Fiction and artificial intelligence to generate innovative solutions. By working collaboratively across disciplines and engaging diverse stakeholders in the decision-making process, we can develop solutions that are effective, sustainable, and equitable, helping to create a more resilient future for all.
References:.
O’Brien, K., Sygna, L., & Haugen, J. E. (2009). Vulnerable or resilient? A multi-scale assessment of climate impacts and vulnerability in Norway. Climatic Change, 102(1-2), 293-302.
Workshop Program
10.00 – 10.30 Welcome and introduction
Presentation of the ReSystem Lab + launch of “The End of Winter” workshop
Nitzan Cohen, Design Friction Lab, Faculty of Design and Arts, unibz
Stefano Maffei, Polifactory, Department of Design, Politecnico di Milano
10.30 – 12.00 Workgroup session
Sharing ideas and experiences on the “End of Winter” from a multidisciplinary perspective and diverse practices.
Invited stakeholders:
Elizabeth Tauber, anthropologist, Faculty of Education, unibz
Giacomo Bertoldi and Michele Bozzoli, climate researchers, EURAC Research
Noa Paul, entrepreneur and hemp producer, Ecopassion
Urban Piccolruaz, wine producer, Laimburg Research Centre (To be confirmed)
12.00 – 13.00 Break (lunch)
13.00 – 15.30 Workshop
Generating ideas looking inside and beyond the “End of Winter”
Participants: master’s degree and PhD students from unibz
Bios
Prof. Stefano Maffei, Architect, and Ph.D. in design. Full Professor at the School of Design, Politecnico di Milano, he teaches advanced product-service systems and production models, contemporary design phenomenology and service design. He is co-founder and scientific director of Polifactory (polifactory.polimi.it) the makerspace of Politecnico di Milano. He is currently the Director of the specializing Masters in Service Design and Design for Food at POLI.Design. His current research interests are focused on service design-driven innovation, systems design, user and patient innovation, circular innovation, and advanced and urban manufacturing, design for food systems, new production-distribution models.
Prof. Massimo Bianchini, PhD in design. Associate Professor at the Department of Design, Politecnico di Milano. He teaches integrated product design and open and distributed design at the School of Design. Graduating at Fab Academy in 2015, he is co-founder and lab manager of Polifactory (polifactory.polimi.it), the makerspace of Politecnico di Milano. His current research interests are focused on open and distributed design and production, systems design, self-production, indie innovation, user and patient innovation, circular innovation, and design for food systems.
Prof. Nitzan Cohen – Design Friction Lab, Faculty of Design and Art, unibz
Nitzan Cohen is a designer, a professor for product design and the Dean of the Faculty of Design and Art, at the Free University of Bolzano (unibz); where he founded the ‘Design Friction Lab’ an interdisciplinary Research and Design Lab looking for innovative sustainable solutions for an industrial and societal transformation. Under his direction the Lab is currently active in the fields of growing materials, the future of open-source production and sustainable Nano-electronics. Cohen won several international design awards, and his designs and art-direction works are part of the most renowned design collections worldwide.
Prof. Seçil Ugur Yavuz – Design Friction Lab, Faculty of Design and Art, unibz
Seçil Uğur Yavuz is an associate professor at Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Faculty of Design and Art. She has a PhD in Design, from Politecnico di Milano. Through participatory design and co-design methods, her research situates in contexts such as Fablabs, makerspaces and schools, engaging with children, makers, and crafters. Her research aims at opening debate and stimulating new visions of interaction within the entanglement of our socio and technological spheres towards sustainable and desirable future(s).
Dr. Camilo Ayala Garcia – Design Friction Lab, Faculty of Design and Art, unibz
Camilo Ayala Garcia is a researcher at Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Faculty of Design and Art. He obtained his Ph.D. degree on the topic of Do-It-Yourself Materials as triggers of change at Politecnico di Milano. Together with his teaching activities, Camilo devotes his research to local materials and products development, with several patents granted as well as different academic contributions published.
