Program

The Two Workshops

 

A.          LISTENING DEVICES

This first workshop will be led by Andrea Botero (Aalto University).

Listening is a key -often underestimated- practice in design. However, its role in enabling meaningful dialogue and participation is vital, especially in contexts where peace is been built. The workshop invites participants to think with various ways of listening, its materialities and configurations to jointly experience and propose listening devices that can contribute to the emergence of peaceful ecosystems. We will exercise listening, get familiar with examples form around the world where listening is been deployed for conflict resolution and reconciliation and experiment with some of our own.

B.          BETWEEN YES AND NO: DESIGN IN A POLARIZED WORLD

This second workshop will be guided by Ingrid Mulder & Rebecca Price (TU Delft).

Interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary collaborations are key to driving societal transformation. However, current societal debates are frequently not based on scientific evidence. For example, social media and migration policies are underpinned by assumptions and polarized narratives. During the workshop, we discuss how design can identify tensions, empower the audience to create more informed opinions, foster dialogues for alternative but peaceful ecosystems, and cocreate narratives of change. Participants learn to understand their role as change-makers and how they can respond to frictions and polarized debates.

 

PROGRAM

Monday June 9

  • Morning:

Intro to the WS theme in each group

Joint exercise with both groups: interview with a word (a list of keywords will be provided to work in pairs one from each group).

  • Afternoon:

Listening WS: introducing examples and first exercise

Polarization WS: First BIG general discussion on challenges, ecosystem, and polarization

 

Tuesday June 10

  • Whole day in each WS

Listening WS: Various listening exercises during the day and begin thinking about listening devices

Polarization WS: Zoom-in on polarization and dialogue with various workshops/activities 

  

Wednesday June 11

  • Whole day

Working with guests

  • Convivial Aperitivo

 

Thursday June 12

  • Whole day in each WS

Listening WS: making listening devices

Polarization WS: narratives 

 

Friday June 13

  • Morning:

Presentations of the groups together

  • Afternoon:

Wrap up and joint discussion. Repetition of the interview adding connections to new keywords worked in the WSs

 

PREPARATORY ACTIVITIES

May 12, 20, 28 / June 5-8

 

The workshops will be linked by a series of creative and inspiring activities:

 

  1. THE PREPARATORY ONLINE SESSIONS AND CONNECTING ACTIVITIES curated by Anna Meroni (Politecnico di Milano) will include keynote speeches, introductory lectures, and stimuli, both in-person and online (calendar in preparation), as well as peer-to-peer interactions, informal initiatives, and sharing sessions before and during the workshops. These activities will facilitate close interaction and exchange between the workshops. Invited teachers and speakers will share theories, experiences and approaches. The online sessions are scheduled at 15-14.45 CET on the following days: 12/05/2025, 20/05/2025, 28/05/2025.
  • May 12th: Introduction to the workshop. Anna Meroni: “Ecosystems of Peace: What is designing for peace and dialogue?” – Toward the Participatory Design Conference 2026: Peace, Dialogue, Coexistence.
  • May 20th: A conversation with Francesco Cara: “Design for peaceful co-existence between people and elephants in Sri Lanka dry zone”
  • May 28th: A conversation with Stefano Maffei and Laura Cipriani: “Urban conflict mapping”

 

Link for all preparatory lectures: https://politecnicomilano.webex.com/meet/anna.meroni

 

  1. THE FIELD VISITS taking place in the days between June 6th and June 8th, before the workshop are optional, though strongly recommended. They will take participants around the cities of Milan, Como and their surroundings. Through these field visits participants will be able to interact with their peers, exchange perspectives, and build upon each other’s viewpoints, thus deconstructing design research and applying it to themselves as designers. These activities will take place in a more relaxed setting, where the stakes are yet to be defined, and perceived risks are lower. Ultimately, this “learning by visiting” approach aims to foster participants’ growth as designers by confronting biases and preconceptions, sharing experiences, and comparing backgrounds with their peers.
  • June 6th: Exploring Milan. Welcome activity and visit to some of Milan’s hotspots for Design and Culture. Meeting point: h. 10:00 AM Politecnico Durando Campus (TBC)
  • June 7th: Design explorations. A set of destinations will be suggested to participant to observe and explore in first person local culture and behaviours with the lens of peace and cohexistence.
  • June 8th: Visiting Como. Field exploration of the city of Como, its history and landmarks through the lenses of Peace and Design. Meeting point: h. 10:00 AM Como Lakefront (TBC)

 

 

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