Hosting Social Innovation: Italia

In September 2016, the Art Monastery, in collaboration with the Visionauts, plenum and Sendzimir Foundation, offered a weeklong immersive experience in social sculpture. Twenty-two participants from 10 countries gathered in the Umbrian village of Monte Gabbione for "Hosting Social Innovation." These twenty-two participants lived communally for the week and learned new methods for listening and for unlocking collective creative potential. The participants interviewed local villagers, then conceptualized public interventions, and manifested them.

One outcome was loving chalk-based graffitis. Another posed anonymous questions via post-its notes, some cut into the silhouette of the town. Local kids joined in. A third intervention invited villagers to share what they loved about their home on a large sheet of paper, posted across from the central gathering place in town.

The results? The participants felt empowered to instigate change with very little time and no budget. The locals felt seen and celebrated. Language barriers dissolved into heart connections. The social sculpture exists as the changed perspectives in both the participants and the locals.

The project was made possible with generous support from Erasmus+ in collaboration with the Academy for Visionautics (Berlin), plenum (Vienna), and the Sendzimir Foundation (Warsaw).

Further information about Hosting Tranformation European collaboration projects.