Zeno Franchini

Collectively redesigning the landscape

Department: Social Design

Landscape Machines

What is the perspective for the future of rural areas as we move into a post-industrial era? This project deals with understanding the complexity of issues involved in redesigning a territory. The study identifies those technologies and practices which define the landscape and constitute the identity of the people living there – here called ‘landscape machines’. These ‘machines’ represent what is left of local folk craft traditions and technological innovations. The interaction with the local people proposed here should create a productive dialogue on current issues. Through their knowledge of a marginalized culture, we can trace not only the roots of our culture, but also the possibility of a different one. Involving those who inhabit this landscape is fundamental: it creates a form of participation that is not made by a designer. It is the other way around: a recognition of the environment in all its complexity, and true participation in rural development.