Date

25 September 2025

Time

09:30 AM - 13:00 PM

Where

Milan - Italy

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Fruition

In-person event

Launched thirteen years ago as an experimental project by the Istituto Europeo di Design in Milan, IED Square is dedicated to third-year students, guiding them on their path toward the Thesis Project.

For one week, the traditional boundaries between disciplines are broken down: Fashion, Design, Visual Arts, and Communication merge into a transversal experience, becoming an opportunity for both in-depth study and openness. A true square — a place to meet, exchange knowledge, and venture into new territories, exploring the city and engaging with the world.

This year, IED Square offers Milan students the opportunity to attend guest lectures by Alessandra Covini (Studio Ossidiana) and Alessandro Masserdotti (Dot Dot Dot).

IED SQUARE PROGRAM

09:30 – 11:00 | The Design of the Encounter by Alessandra Covini

This lecture explores how design can be rethought by including non-human agents as active participants, not just sources of inspiration. Using examples from our own work and interdisciplinary references, we will examine how architecture, art, and research can facilitate scenarios of co-creation between humans and other intelligences, envisioning new, inclusive design ecologies.

11:30 – 13:00 | Data Bugs by Alessandro Masserdotti


Technology transforms the world. Artificial intelligence is transforming our world today. The transformative power and the repercussions of artificial intelligence in many aspects of our lives require us to reflect and take responsibility, not only as designers, but also as human beings.

Do animals, plants, and materials know about AI? Who generates information and provides datasets?
These are the questions we will invite students to engage with, as a starting point for a debate among creatives.

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