seminar: can we build soft autonomies?
Seminar and Winter School “CAN WE BUILD SOFT AUTONOMIES?” in Bergamo, Italy
From the 19th to the 26th of November, Software-ing Spaces will host a Winter School in Sant’Agata, Bergamo, a historic site that evolved from a monastery to a prison and then remained abandoned for years. In recent times, ExSA (Ex-SantAgata) has been a hub for Bergamo's vibrant social and creative community, hosting various activities and performances, albeit without spatial modifications.
For a week, participants are invited to reside and collaborate within the venerable walls of the former prison and monastery in Bergamo's Old Town, shaping spaces through inhabitance. The Winter School poses a unique challenge: to conceive ways to actively occupy this spatial matrix through designing tangible objects, multifaceted software, and preserving and narrating past narratives.
Envisioned as a learning and exchange nexus, the school is perfect for those passionate about self-constructed spaces and fostering communal management. Participants will also be introduced to new skills, crafting, construction, and storytelling, all while collaborating with an international team.
The workshop accommodates up to 40 participants.
Applications are now open and will close on the 18th of October. Acceptance notifications will be sent by the 22nd of October.
Participation (inclusive of documentation, format is discretionary) will earn 3 ECTS.
Software-ing Spaces offers a collective platform to reimagine urban commons, open to public access for limited durations. How might we care for spaces that belong to everyone? How do we design within urban commons, align with their ancient narratives, dwell in the present, and look ahead to an undefined future? What design ethos can facilitate the autonomy of communal assets, and are we prepared to manifest it? Learn more
The Winter School is originated from and based on the work developed since 2015 by Associazione Maite, an association that promotes socio-cultural initiatives. In the last years Sant’Agata has been collectively managed by different groups and individuals coordinated by Maite and So.No. - Società Nomade. These associations are the official hosts of the Winter School and the main collaborators for the activities.
Francesca Gotti (architect, researcher at Politecnico di Milano, and member of Maite and So.No.) and Yona Catrina Schreyer (architect, researcher at Politecnico di Milano, and member of So.No.) are the Organizers and coordinators of the Winter School.
