Date

06 November 2024

A municipal library offering new spaces for the younger generation, a dramatic animated introspection dealing with the topic of emotional inertia, a visionary journey taking design to the moon to support stable human communities on its dunes.

These are the three winning projects of the sixth edition of the IED Roma Design Awards, an annual event dedicated to rewarding the most innovative works created by students of the Istituto Europeo di Design in Rome.

This year, the event was hosted by the Museum of Civilisations in Rome, which welcomed the twenty-two finalist projects, created by seventy designers from the IED Roma seat, into the Hall of Honour. However, three prizes were awarded, to works that stood out in terms of their courage and innovation: the “Best Project” prize, the “Design for commons” prize for those whose work has managed to intercept the themes of regeneration and sharing of common assets, and finally, the press prize.

The best project is an animated short about emotional dryness.

Neil - quand une personne n'est personne, an animation created by Illustration and Animation student Michelle Montinaro, won the “Best Project” award. The short film is an introspective journey that through animated painting addresses the emptiness of those who feel no love, of those who see nothing special in themselves or in others, fated to live in an emotional desert that we may all suffer sooner or later.

An award for the design of new cultural spaces dedicated to young people.

Interconnessi, a project developed in partnership with Biblioteche di Roma by Interior Design students, won the “Design for commons” award. The work offers innovative design solutions for the new Libraries of Rome, conceived as places of study, meeting and exchange accommodating a wide range of cultural activities. They are located in neighbourhoods not yet reached by the service and are especially aimed at the younger generations. The designers of the winning project are Ambra Melmeluzzi and Anna Silvestri.

The press prize goes to the design on the moon.

Moon Haven, an interdisciplinary work involving students from Interior Design, Graphic Design, Fashion Design and Product Design, finally won the press award. “Live as a Moonling, rediscover yourself as an Earthling”, is the claim accompanying the project, which was created to research how design can support human beings in creating stable communities on extraterrestrial spaces, starting with the Moon. Consequently, different habitable capsules, a user's manual for space travel and a fashion collection presenting wearable solutions for a lunar party dated 2050 were designed. Nine designers curated the project: Matteo Berloco, Teresa Colonna, Flavia Colonnelli, Marco De Michele, Chiara Di Palma, Claudia Dottarelli, Alessandro Leonori, Ilaria Possati and Gioacchino Salierno.

Urban Secrets, a project dedicated to the pervasive relationship between human beings and technology, won the special mention. In a world increasingly permeated by digital technology, the installation Urban Secrets addresses issues such as privacy and “digital voyeurism” and highlights the mutual influence between the observers and the observed. Although the spectators are the observers, they may not realise that they themselves are the subjects of observation. The project was carried out by nine students from Media Design, Graphic Design and Sound Design: Giammarco Benetti, Emanuele Danna, Alice Ecossi, Lorenzo Ferrara, Lorenzo Gardenal, Giorgia Guidi, Elisa Luzi, Giulia Sabatino and Roberta Squitieri, in partnership with the Bright Festival, a cultural event promoting digital creativity at an international level.

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