Italy: Endemic & Endogenous Design Explorations

About this Travel Course

Course Description

Starting from a culture studies theoretical framework, in which anthropology intertwine with artifacts’ social life, this course investigated the possibility of thinking of designed objects as a direct and pure representation of humans’ activities (endogenous), and/or rooted in specific geographical and cultural contexts (=endemic). The course was set in North-West Italy, specifically around the Cinque Terre region, a unique natural environment contained between the Mediterranean Sea and the Apennine mountains where farmers for centuries have challenged the landscape to strive and cultivate their lands. The peculiarity of the place exposed students to the complex relationships between nature and people who domesticated steep cliffs to farm olive trees and grapevines thanks to human ingenuity and expert craftsmanship. Through notions of circular economy and material innovation, students learned and analyzed the local context and developed endogenous product ideas that adopted local resources and processes to serve specific endemic needs. The will to foster a more sustainable approach to products and services was at the core of this class that merged more theoretical contents, such as anthropology or biology, with hands-on activities such as DIY bioplastics or dry walls construction. The use of a biological framework was motivated by the idea that a sort of Lex Naturalis (Natural Law), intended here in its secular exception, should drive design decisions in a way to create as little friction as possible between natural environments and human activities.

Course Objectives

• Exposed students to sustainable design practices and methods.
• Learned about the use and optimization of local resources
• Created products respecting and valorizing culture and tradition
• Reflected on products’ life cycle and environmental footprint

Learning Outcomes + Assignments

• Learned design research methods and anthropological observation
• Learned the marble extraction and production cycle
• Learned the leather tanning and production process
• Understood endemic and endogenous design methods
• Understood circular economy and design
• Explored and understood bio-materials and DIY bioplastic technics
• Explored and understood viticulture and winemaking processes and tools

Housing

To participate in RISD Global Summer Studies, all students were required to stay in RISD- provided housing for the duration of the course. Students were accommodated in double/triple occupancy rooms with shared bathrooms.

Background Information

Cinque Terre

The Cinque Terre, Italian for “five lands/towns”, is a string of five fishing villages perched high on the Italian Riviera in the region Liguria, which until recently were linked only by mule tracks and accessible only by rail or water. An ancient system of footpaths is still the best way to visit the five villages: Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. The district, part of the Cinque Terre National Park and Marine Protected Area, represent one of the most pristine and renowned Mediterranean natural wonders. This is due to mainly historical and geomorphological reasons that have prevented an excessive building expansion and the construction of further main roads. The activities practiced by man for centuries, and especially viticulture, have contributed to creating a unique landscape in the world, named since 1997 UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Endemic & Endogenous

To facilitate the passage from a design’s problematic past to a brighter responsible future and switch to a better and more sustainable scale-weight paradigm, we should look at the biological terms endogenous and endemic as principles for just design practices. Endemic generically defines something “native”; in the case of diseases, for instance, is about their persistence in a particular geographical area or human population while spices can refer to their unique presence in one region and nowhere else in the world. The term Endogenous, which is generally defined as “from within”, describes what is produced or found within living organisms like, for example, hormones, genes or viruses but it can also refer to the specific characteristic of a place as far as topography, climate or geography.

In the world of materials for design, in the last 10 years, there has been the birth of practices that have favored the development of materials that we could also describe as endemic and endogenous. In fact, the DIY-Materials, defined as the self-produced materials of the designers themselves for reasons linked to the sustainability of the solution and for the research for innovation, can be consistent with the best and most sustainable scale-weight- time paradigm. Often the DIY ingredients, which are then the object of experimentation and tinkering of the self-production approach, are endemic because they persist in a particular geographical area. Self-produced materials are also endogenous because the specific characteristics of a place influence their development in terms of topography, climate or geography.

Eligibility

RISD Students

If your current cumulative GPA was 2.5 or above, you are eligible for registration. If your current cumulative GPA is lower than 2.5, you must first contact the Registrar at registrar@risd.edu to seek exception to this academic policy.

Non-RISD Participants

If you are a college student currently enrolled in another art/design college or institution around the world, or a professional practicing in the field, you are eligible for registration. We will collect a recommendation/support form from your institution/workplace.

In order to register for RISD Global summer studies, you are expected to have a high level of English (speech, writing, and comprehension) as all coursework and critique is delivered in English.

Attendance Policy

Global Summer Studies are three weeks long and take place in June/July, and you are required to attend all program activities scheduled during the travel course. RISD Global Summer Studies comply with RISD class attendance policy. In case of unexcused or multiple absences, you may be removed from the course, given a grade of “W" (withdrawal) or a grade of “F” (fail).

Withdrawal Policy

Requesting to withdraw from a RISD off-campus global learning program, including RISD Global Summer Studies, prior to the start of the course is highly discouraged and requires a formal process outlined in the RISD course withdrawal policy. It is not possible for a student to drop a RISD Global Summer Studies travel course via the standard Add/Drop process after it has commenced. In the case of unforeseen and extenuating circumstances (and only after students have spoken with the faculty lead and RISD Global for approval to withdraw from the program), students should be aware that no refund will be issued.

More Info

In order to reserve a seat, a non-refundable deposit of $500 is required at the time of application submittal. Students will have until April 1, 2022, to submit full payment. Students that fail to make full payment by their deadline will forfeit their $500 deposit and their seat in the course. New application submissions starting April 1 are not eligible to make a deposit and must make full payment by April 15, 2022.

All RISD students enrolled in RISD and other full degree schools/universities are required to remain in good academic standing in order to participate in Global Summer Studies. A minimum GPA of 2.5 is required for all RISD students. Failure to remain in good academic standing can lead to removal from the course, either before or during the course.

In cases where summer travel courses and studios do not reach full capacity, the course may be canceled after the last day of registration. As such, all students are advised not to purchase flights for participation in Global Summer Studies courses until the course is confirmed.