Mediterranean Design Talks

We Mediterranean is the story of all of us who believe in the value of architecture for

everyone and in a new language that rediscovers its strength in the movement of bodies.

We Mediterranean is a project by Paola Carimati with Matilde Cassani Studio, Francesca

Lanzavecchia, Sex & The City, Studio Ossidiana, Piovenefabi

in collaboration with We Design Beirut

with the contribution of Fondazione Cologni Dei Mestieri D’arte

supported by Triennale Milano, Italian Embassy in Beirut, Italian Cultural Institute in

Beirut, Italia Patria della Bellezza

Mediterranean Design Talks

During the Design Week, We Mediterranean will host a series of meetings exploring the

Mediterranean as a common home and a place for possible dialogue between diverse

cultures. Design, art, and performance intertwine to shape new open and evolving spaces

of sharing. In process.

We Mediterranean/ The Past

The idea of We Mediterranean was born in May 2023, when the southern

Mediterranean was not yet shaken by the violence of the Israel-Palestine conflict.

A war whose effects will unequivocally impact the geopolitical balance of the planet.

Regardless of Europe's political stance, the countries along the Mediterranean, first

exposed to the effects triggered by the ongoing humanitarian disaster, cannot remain

indifferent. It is necessary, as much as possible, to contribute to the construction of a

common culture of dialogue and hospitality capable of sparking an honest debate.

Not only about the reasons that drive bodies to move through space but also about the

need to emotionally resonate within each of us. Discussing inclusion involves nurturing

empathy, truly understanding that the routes across the waters of the Mediterranean are

not simple movements but survival lines drawn by men and women fleeing both hunger

and war. Becoming aware of the epochal change that permeates us is an act ofresponsibility that can mature by learning to read, through the coordinates of 'deviations

of humanity,' an evolutionary opportunity: for all of us, on both sides of the

Mediterranean. Understanding who we are and what unites us.

What it means to be citizens of the Mediterranean. What common cultural root connects

us, the countries touched by the Majesty of the Sea. And on what level of sharing it is

possible to project the foundations of a truly open and porous community.

The route of imagination will guide the We Mediterranean collective to the places of

marginality and fragility from which one escapes. To try to understand that the sea does

not separate but unites. United in the intention to dissolve underlying ambiguities,

both in the same human and professional sensitivity, we Mediterraneans, free to move

through space, have thought to act as we can: reflecting on a renewed sense of bridge

architecture to interpret the signs of a 'habitat' that belongs to everyone.

More than functional, the spaces we will define are 'places-of-spontaneous-sharing'

where Mediterraneans who design and build meet other Mediterraneans who design

and build. Designers, activists, performers, and artisans together, united in the

understanding of the common language of the mother discipline, attempt to translate the

science of construction into new artifacts. Lightweight structures, robust embroideries,

and handmade weaves are words that resonate with culture because they find a new

formal synthesis in empathy.

We Mediterranean/ The Present

We Mediterranean is a cultural outpost where the authorship of one blends into that of

another to define a new harmonious, fluid, and universal spatial dimension.

A synthesis of a multicultural crossing in perpetual evolution, like the trajectories that

bodies trace on the map. We Mediterranean is a mobile, reconfigurable, and ongoing

architecture: richer at each stop, it moves through space with all the 'bodies' of

experiences lived. In a melting pot of identities, roots, and traditions that complement

each other.

We Mediterranean arrives in Milan composed of three elements: a theater for meetings

and dialogue, made of metal tubing and dressed in fabrics embroidered by the women of

Ajialouna (the NGO born from an idea of Lina Zaim Dada, a Lebanese social activist and

patroness aiming to promote female empowerment and strengthen the role of women in

the community), a 4-meter tower for pigeons, a symbol of extended hospitality and

peace, and a canopy that, by shading, takes care of the community.

The Milanese layout emphasizes the theme of intersection as a symbol of dialogue and

encounter between the cultures of the Mediterranean to engage with the space of

DropCity's tunnel 50: upon entering, marked by a towering canopy, the outpost, a theme

meeting place, performances, and poetry readings. A sterlizie forest completes the

narrative. Design and architecture, along with designers, cultural figures, and

representatives of institutions, will be called upon to testify and stimulate a concrete

reflection on the theme of inclusion and hospitality: why should the Mediterranean be

considered a political space? What are the repercussions on managing a business?

What role does cultural diplomacy play today? How can design contribute to breaking

down prejudices and commonplaces? We Mediterranean intends to discuss this and

more in Milan and along the coasts of our sea. To lay the foundations for a creative

community that finds in meeting and peace a renewed sense of sharing and project.We Mediterranean/ The Future

We Mediterranean is a grand tour that, from Beirut, arrives in Milan during the April

Design Week, then returns to Lebanon to inaugurate the festival with We Design Beirut

(May 23-26, 2024). The goal is to reach Marseille in the summer (which, on the occasion

of the arrival of the Olympic Torch from July 26 to August 11, will host a rich schedule of

events) and Barcelona in the fall for the October Design Week (from October 16 to 28).

The route outlined for 2025 will take us to Tunis, Cairo, and Istanbul. Closing the year with

the two stages of Lampedusa on the occasion of Agrigento-Lampedusa Capital of Culture

and Milan for the XXIV Triennale is our commitment. Certain that at the end of the Grand

Tour, our outpost will preserve the traces of the entire Mediterranean. And the ongoing

project will have completed its cultural mission.WE MEDITERRANEAN DESIGN TALKS

venerdì 12 aprile |

h 11.00/17.00 Press Preview

H 17.00/19.00 opening

h 17.00/18.00 A SEA OF WORD/MurMur

Saturday 13 april |

h 17.00/18.00 ATTRAVERSARE IL MARE/ Andrea Tagliaferri e Arnaud Zohin, Io Capitano

screenwriters, Michele Bombassei, OIM, moderated by Paola Carimati

Sunday 14 aprile |

h 16.00 Beirut Dance by Khansa

h 18.00/19.00 SEA AS A POLITICAL SPACE Cecilia Strada, humanitarian worker

and Stefano Maffei, PoliMi. Moderated by Chiara Alessi

lunedì 15 aprile |

h 18.00 MIGRATION. A contemporary challenge between new rituals and visual

languages. Sara Baletti e Francesco Agostini, PoliMi, Magazine Design students, Visual

Design and Integrated Marketing Communication, NABA with This Charming Mag #04 –

Migrations. Moderated by Daniela Vaccaro, Master Mater Matuta – Curatorial Practice

and Contemporary Philosophy of the Mediterranean.

Tuesday 16 aprile |

h 17.00 Beirut Dance by Khansa

h 18.00 NOMADIC MEDITERRANEAN. Art and design to rethink boundaries.

Sofia Baldi Pighi, Malta Biennale, Rethinking Lampedusa, by Made Program, Milano

Mediterranea. Moderated by Azzurra Muzzonigro

Wednesday 17 aprile |

h 16.30 THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA BETWEEN COMMITMENT AND IMAGINATION:

the role of institutions. Gaia Romani, Assessora ai servizi civici, partecipazione e

trasparenza, Nina Bassoli, curatrice per l’architettura e la rigenerazione urbana di

Triennale Milano, Linda di Pietro, Direttrice Artistica BASE Milano, Tiziano Rossetti,

collettivo Sailingfor Blue Lab. Moderated by Paola Carimati

Thursday 18 aprile |

h 15.30 A MEDITATION FOR LAMPEDUSA by Rethinking Lampedusa Made Program

h 18.00 CRAFT, HERITAGE, EMPOWERMENT: A/R Lebanon Italy. Alberto Cavalli

Direttore Fondazione Cologni dei Mestieri d’Arte and George Mohassab. Moderated by

Samer Alameen

Friday 19 aprile |

h 17.00 Educational Trip: 20 Libanese Students and David Nicolas studio in dialogue

with Antonio Fusetti.

H 18.00 Dj Set Parasite 2.0 Sound System

Saturday 20 aprile |h 13.00/18.00 poetry workshop by MurMur

Sunday 21 aprile |

h 18.00 poetry reading by MurMur