Nicolò Ceccarelli

INFO

associate professor - DADU Alghero-Sassari (IT)

Design

ORCID

Design in presence

The opportunity to work to a series of projects in the area of exhibition/information has recently allowed us to focus on an intriguing theme related to the strategies of public engagement. We refer here to the possible interactions between three poles: the component associated with the physical, embodied presence; the experience represented by our contemporary digital environment as a reality booster, and the crucial connecting element in this relationship: an effective narrative backbone. Aiming at demonstrating – despite our loose approach, 99% free from stiff methodological precepts – the coherence of this line of action, we would like to illustrate the pathway shared by some of our re- cent designs in the area of public communication. A trajectory that over projects on a variety of differ- ent topics – the city’s genius loci, the complex relationships between prison and society, the safeguard of endangered animal species, the role of phytoplankton in the planet’s balance – was aimed in our work at stimulating, sparking curiosity and engaging the public, so to activate conversations, generat- ing memorable experiences and interactions.
Two tenets are at the base of our approach: the great deal of importance we pose to the intuitive component of design – what is in our belief one of the characteristic traits of the discipline itself and of the designer’s profession – and giving nothing for granted and always being comfortable with re-starting from scratch the design process each time time, in order to look for the best possible design solution to the problems posed. Some important questions lie in the background of these research explorations: the power of complementarity between the informational dimension of the spatial and diegetic experience of the language of moving images; the overlapping between direct and technolog- ically mediated manipulation; the role of presence, interactions and of our personal experience, in the orchestration of highly engaging individual and collective experiences.

BIO

Nicolò Ceccarelli is a Full Professor of Design at DADU in Alghero-Sassari; he is the head of the Animation Design lab and oversees the new Triennial Design course. They have a background in animation, visual and corporate design, craftsmanship, and exhibitions.
Through the Neo-Local Design project, Nicolò explores Design focusing on the local dimension. Using the 2CO COmmunicating Complexity platform, they delve into forms and languages to make complex information accessible. Notable projects include Sardinia at Expo2015, the multi-screen installation ArtiJanas at the Triennale in Milan, and gamification for cultural assets and scientific knowledge dissemination.