More disasters since we began a decade ago. What to do now, and how?

Lisa Baumgarten proposes critical design pedagogies, Bianca Elzenbaumer (Brave New Alps, La Foresta) provides outlooks on transformative design practices in troubled times with a historical take, Manuel Grebenjak (radius) offers capacity building and strategies for social movement actors (📖 Tipping Points – Strategies Within the Climate Movement Ecosystem), Miriam Lang (Universidad Andina Simón Bolivar) lays out systemic emancipatory transformations beyond the development paradigm with a trans-local perspective from Latin America (Pacto Ecosocial Del Sur), while Teacher-researchers, students and alumni of the Master in Eco-Social Design take a critical look at the development, achievements and shortcomings of eco-social design and discuss future trajectories in a world that appears drastically different than it did 10 years ago. Ivan Txaparro (resonar lab) will move us with radical storytelling and live music into resonant futures together with Vera Nois from Argentina… and many more.

Conference + festival + camp

Since the beginning in 2013, the annual By Design and by Disaster Conference has been focusing on social-ecological transformations, and what design and art can contribute along with partners and allies. It’s a gathering of eco/social/political designers and artists, activists, critical scientists, courageous farmers, unconventional social workers and entrepreneurs, commoners and other transformation-engaged species. The event series co-develops with the Master in Eco-Social Design at the Faculty of Design and Art at the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano. Starting in 2015/16, ‘DDcon’ offers a mix of inspiring talks, hands-on workshops, paper presentations, performances, walks, talks and more in a convivial atmosphere with tasty food, concerts, DJs, dancing, bonfire, sun, mountains… and whatever we make out of it together. To give more space to emerging debates and spontaneous activities this year, we will have an afternoon open space without a parallel programme. In 2026 By Design and by Disaster is taking place again at the social activation hub BASIS Vinschgau Venosta, an omnipotent re-use project of the former Drusus barracks in Schlanders-Silandro.

Preguntando caminamos

A Principle of the Zapatista movement

It is time to ask pressing questions and to collaborate on the answers: How to respond to the rising far-right and other authoritarian tendencies? What to do in the light of probable collapse scenarios and ongoing conflicts, crises and catastrophes? What counters the disempowering feelings of delusion and political depression? How to co-create collective empowerment, mutual care and nourishing movements? How to prepare (for) social tipping points and be prepared (for) opening windows of opportunities? How to create trans-local and global solidarity in movements and joint struggles, and how to re/produce them (along supply chains)? Who are our partners and allies? How can we build upon and interconnect what and who is already there to gain overarching traction? Why has our practice been defined the way it was, and how must we change it? What is our history, and what future should we strive fore? What have we relied on that we no longer can?

Event website

https://designdisaster.unibz.it/2026/.

Supporters

The event is kindly supported by the Architecture Foundation of South Tyrol and by the BTS - Banca per il Trentino-Südtirol.