Francesco Ferrero
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Multidisciplinary designer and craft practitioner interested in transformative practices and traditional artisanship.
Post Alpe
Manuale
Companaticum
World Wide Weave
Situated — Ↄrafts
Post Alpe
CraftFieldwork Co-design
Ca’Mon - Valle Camonica, Italy
– 2023
Within the intricate realm of alpine communities, traditional practices linked to rural life are gradually diminishing due to changing circumstances. The overarching objective of the POST ALPE project is to reconceptualize these practices in the public and intergenerational sphere. By repositioning manual labor as a critical and collective action, the project fosters a participatory approach, which was initiated through a partnership with the Ca'Mon community center for mountain art and crafts in Monno, situated within the upper Camonica Valley.
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The workshop
Central to the project's framework are intergenerational co-design workshops aimed at actively reintegrating crafts into the social fabric by directly engaging with the community. These workshops bridge kids' visions and ideas with the craft knowledge of older community members. Through imaginative sessions, children envision their village from their perspectives and needs, while also interviewing elderly individuals about preserving century-old woodworking and textile techniques, recalling objects from the past.
The Cart
Thanks to collaboration with artisans, an abandoned farm cart, an emblematic symbol of mountain tradition and one of the elements found in the rock carvings of the Camonica Valley, was revived, transforming it into a mobile and versatile hub for various activities. Through the children's ideas, potential uses for this cart were outlined. It primarily functions as an open workshop for product showcasing and crafting, alongside serving as a platform for experimenting with new educational activities and acting as a social catalyst during assembly moments.
56789The intervention’L bròth de tuc (translated as "the cart for everyone" in the Monno dialect) was inaugurated in June 2023, becoming a tool available to the community of Monno. The cart, as it rolled through the village, entered into the lives of people, serving as a bridge between generations, restoring public support, providing tangible tools, and creating collective moments for a resilient community in Monno.
Images:
1-2-3-4 "Manididomani" imaginary workshop with the after-school program of Ca’Mon. April, 2023
5-6-7-8-9 "Di trame future e desideri svelati" public intervention with the community of Monno. June 2023 (photo credits: Veronika Vascotto)
Master thesis developed during the MA studies in Eco-Social Design at the Free University of Bolzano/Bozen (Italy), in collaboration with Ca’Mon Centro di comunità per l’arte e l’artigianato, Monno (Italy).
With a big thanks to Irene Delvai, Anna Martinatti, Greta Papaveri and Veronika Vascotto.