In this new edition of the exhibition “We Mix Design and People,” the focus shifts to the future, explored through the visions of European talents presenting their practice at Graphic Days®.
Designers engaged in tackling the complex challenges of the present must be aware of their responsibilities for the future. The designer cannot remain neutral: every method, tool, education, and creative practice is inherently intertwined with social and environmental issues, as well as culture, identity, politics.
This exhibition provides an opportunity to reflect on how to take these interconnections seriously and what we can learn from those who have made social design their mission. Through a series of installations, they invite us to explore the potential of design in shaping a more inclusive and sustainable future.
On display
Farm Cultural Park is a cultural center located in Favara (Ag), which for over 20 years has served as a true laboratory of social innovation, where a community of residents and creative talents works in synergy. The goal is to create cultural transformations in urban spaces to showcase the endless possibilities of creativity, focusing on today’s challenges and opportunities.
Other Editions is the editorial project by Lorenzo Servi (known as SerraGlia), an architect and visual designer based in Helsinki. Focused on integrating visual art with new forms of storytelling, his work uses art and communication as tools to highlight underrepresented themes and elements.
Parco is a graphic design studio based in Milan that constantly explores possible intersections between socio-cultural themes and contemporary visual culture. In the context of Graphic Days®, the studio presents “Designer,” a site-specific installation that invites viewers to reflect on their role in the world and society, both professionally and personally.
Sheldon Studio. Established shortly before the onset of the pandemic 🙈, the studio quickly gained international recognition, operating at the intersection of digital design, data visualization, and social design. It focuses on projects that transform data from mere economic resources into genuine digital common goods. On display will be the installation Blurm3not, conceived by Sheldon.studio for the Internet Festival – Forms of the Future in Pisa, in partnership with the Institute of Clinical Physiology of the CNR.
Studio Airport. A call to raise awareness about the ecological crisis, merging social design and documentary. “The Pollinators of Slovenia” explores the crucial roles of pollinators and their fragile position in an age of ecological breakdown. If an ecosystem is a tapestry, constantly being woven, then pollinators are the weavers: sowing pollen from one plant to another, making it possible for them to flower and bear their fruits. A changing climate and shrinking habitats are bringing pollinator populations into sharp decline, threatening not only the health and vibrance of ecosystems but the stability of the global food supply. In Slovenia, beekeeping has deep, traditional roots, the ancient practice was granted UNESCO World Heritage status this past winter, and Slovenian beekeepers have led the way in adapting European legislation to support and protect colonies of pollinators. This video installation invites you to journey across the landscapes of Slovenia to discover the patterns and rhythms of a land where pollinators are held at the heart of daily life. These stories gather a dynamic cast, a forager who shares his bed with bees, small-scale regenerative family farms, two urban beekeepers, and a chef who runs a bee-driven farmstay, all of whom are finding new ways to nurture pollinators in this time of ecological degradation. As their spoken stories and lively soundscapes overlap with vivid photography and moving images, you are welcomed into a world threaded by the intricate movements of bees and the considered human choices that support them: a model for human-pollinator partnership. Directed by Bram Broerse, Art Directed by Maurits Wouters, Produced by Emergence Magazine and Studio Airport, Research and Graphic Design by Anže Petelinšek, Cinematography by Luuk de Kok and Mischa van Schajik, Sound Design and Music by Julian Tjon Sack Kie, Narration by Tisa N. Herlec,
