Rhythm. Sound and visual textures
Workshop with Gianluca Monaco at Abadir DELIDA

Digital fabrication. Introduction to digital fabrication
Workshop with Marco Francucci at Abadir

A fundamental part of the designer's work is translating a design concept into something that exists in space and knowing how to manage the transition between idea and production. At the heart of the creative process is a vibrant moment made of research, materials, measurements, data analysis and corrections. A space that, thanks to cutting-edge tools such as 3D printers, laser machines and CNC milling cutters, can be made increasingly precise and accessible.

In the workshop of Digital Fabrication edited by Marco Francucci (with the support of Gabriele Alecci), the participants took their first steps into the world of digital fabrication: starting from the basics of technical drawing, they familiarised themselves with the main types of Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machines and – through a path of llearning by doing, made up of short theoretical explanations and practical group exercises – they prototyped their own three-dimensional object: a ceramic printed vase.

Fermentation practices and biodesign
Workshop with Marco Falcone at Abadir DELIDA

Being a designer today also means knowing how to looking at biological processes as a design resource. Bio-design originates precisely from this perspective: not an aesthetic applied to nature, but a method that starts from living matter and its transformations, to rethink a material, what it can become and how it can do so. 

In the workshop Fermentation practices and biodesign curated by Marco Falcone (with the support of Alessandro Tricomi) we started from an ancient and everyday practice, lacto-fermentation, and then ventured into a contemporary research territory: bio-fabrication. At the centre of our activity, the SCOBY di kombucha: acronym for Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast, is a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeasts which, through fermentation, generates a natural cellulose film that can be used as a potential sustainable bio-leather or bio-textile. This material was the culmination of our laboratory work and encouraged critical reflection on the themes of material sustainability and the potential of biological processes in product design.

Bread, design and living matter
Workshop with Marco Falcone at Abadir DELIDA

Also in the workshop Bread, design and living matter we have explored how design can engage with living matter, with microorganisms, biological reactions and transformations that elude the full control of the designer. In this context, bread-making has turned into a veritable design process and meditations on the culture of bread have become a tool to tell the story of a community and express its needs.

Sourdough starter, the emblem of time, patience and daily care, took centre stage alongside wheat and various flours in a theoretical and practical lesson on the fundamentals of bread-making. The students of the Emilio Greco Art High School in Catania then prepared the dough and crafted their own loaves of bread. After baking, turning them out and tasting them, the second step of the journey arrived: bringing a “ritual bread” to life, evoking the imagery of the seasons of life through symbols, incisions and imprints. Finally, the group created a collective textile artefact: a hand-painted tablecloth using natural pigments derived from tomato, turmeric, wine and chocolate, used as the base for the final installation.