Art, research, social innovation and participation come together in Rome with Knowledge that Connects, the artistic and cultural project taking place from 21 to 25 October at the Rome Botanical Gardens, managed by Sapienza University of Rome, and the Innovation Gym run by the Mondo Digitale Foundation. At the heart of the event are the works of Loris Cecchini and a programme involving universities, institutions, social organisations, businesses and members of the public.
Cecchini’s modular structures explore the processes through which simple elements connect and generate complex systems. In the artist’s research, the module is a relational unit: a minimal form which, through its relationship with others, gives rise to open, branching and ever-changing structures. Its setting in Rome’s Botanical Garden places this research in dialogue with a living scientific collection. Within the spaces of the historic garden in Trastevere, the forms devised by the artist engage in a dialogue with those observable in the natural world, offering a different perspective on connection, growth, branching and propagation.
The theme of relationships also runs through the programme of talks and activities, built around the value of alliances between different worlds. Unidata contributes to this framework by involving its professionals in specialist voluntary work, making their knowledge and experience available to young people.
From connections to policies for the social economy
The programme opens on Wednesday 21 October with the conference ‘The Social Economy in the Digital Age’, organised in collaboration with the Terzjus Foundation. The discussion brings the theme of connections into the realm of policy and social innovation, exploring the alliances needed to integrate digital transformation into the National Plan for the Social Economy.
At the heart of the dialogue between institutions, experts and sector representatives are the evolution of organisations, collaboration between the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors, impact measurement, finance and public procurement. The meeting also contributes to the drafting of a Ten-point charter for the inclusive digital transition of the social economy, with proposals to be shared with the institutions.
The day continues with a private reception, by invitation only, at the residence of the Deputy Head of Mission of the US Embassy at Villa Pinciana, providing an opportunity for key figures and programme partners to meet.
Art meets nature
Friday 23 October is dedicated to the unveiling of Loris Cecchini’s works at the Botanical Gardens. Valentino Catricalà, contemporary art curator and artistic director, and the artist will guide the public through an interpretation of the project and the research underpinning it. The installations invite visitors to observe the relationships between natural forms and man-made structures, exploring the processes of growth and transformation that unite seemingly disparate systems. The Botanical Gardens thus become a space where artistic languages and scientific knowledge converge, open to new interpretations.
A weekend open to the city
Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 October the programme opens to the public. The Botanical Garden hosts guided tours of the works, whilst the Palestra dell’Innovazione, at 102 Via del Quadraro, offers activities and workshops for children, young people and families, combining art, nature, creativity and technology.
The public dimension is an integral part of “Knowledge that Connects”. Tours and workshops make the artworks accessible to young people, families and the public, linking the Third Mission of Sapienza University of Rome with the social innovation of the Fondazione Mondo Digitale.
In Rome, where the Fondazione Mondo Digitale was founded in 2001 as the Consorzio Gioventù Digitale, the programme celebrates its first 25 years alongside the communities that have shared its journey, renewing its commitment to building new connections between knowledge, people and local areas.
