Bianca Elzenbaumer

Over the past decade, eco-social design has navigated a world upended by climate chaos, war, digital decay, far-right rage, and AI doom. Yet, as a community, its practice has blossomed through decolonial, posthumanist, transfeminist, Indigenous, and abolitionist sophistication. So what is its role today? How do we frame our practices—historically, geographically—to sustain transformative power and keep weaving the long tapestry of eco-social justice? Bianca explores these tensions, thinking from a design practice that is rooted in the Italian Alps, yet globally networked.

About

Dr Bianca Elzenbaumer is a feminist design researcher based in the Italian Alps. Elzenbaumer is a founding member of the design practice Brave New Alps and of the community academy La Foresta. Her 40-year research plan focuses on supporting and creating community economies and commons starting from the rural places she lives in. She holds a PhD from Goldsmiths, University of London, an MA from the Royal College of Art in London and an MA in Mediation and International Peacebuilding from the University of Bologna. She is a member of the Community Economies Institute based in Sydney and with 50 members across the world.