“Hocu sutta cinnara” italian for “fire under the ashes”, is a Calabrian dialect expression shedding light onto what is not completely dead, what is dormant, silent but still alive.
The expression, title of this summer school, symbolically enshrines the concept behind the program of resilient adaptation of community life in the small village of Simeri. The dormant, socially, and economically marginalized community resists in a condition of apparent passivity. In rural Calabria, those who decided to stay, newcomers and people passing through need to rethink the places of togetherness, and their cultural traditions in view of an uncertain future.
In this context of apparent crisis, architecture and design become tools to revive that flame that today is reduced to being only a fire under ashes, an unexpressed potential that instead needs and deserves to find fulfillment and realization.
After the regeneration of the hamlet’s former school in summer 2024 (get insights on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simerilab/) , the municipality has decided to extend its efforts by transforming also other public facilities of the village, which are currently underused, into new spots for collective life. This initiative is part of a broader vision to revitalize the social fabric of the community through inclusive design processes. Building on the success of the previous year’s activities, the new summer school will serve as a platform for engaging local residents, as well as international participants, in collaborative workshops focused on the co-creation of the village’s public heritage.
The summer school will involve a series of hands-on design and workshops, where participants will explore social and ecological approaches to urban renewal, with a focus on sustainability, inclusivity, and community-driven development. These workshops will address the pressing needs of the shrinking village community by creating spaces that encourage social interaction, intergenerational dialogue, and cultural exchange. The activities will center around the question of urban commons by promoting a relational approach to placemaking, strengthening the relation between the people and their environment.
This ongoing transformation, supported by the municipality, will include both physical interventions in public facilities and the establishment of new, collaborative practices for the maintenance and management of these spaces. Through this process, the summer school will foster a deeper sense of belonging and ownership within the community, ensuring that the regenerated spaces reflect the needs and aspirations of the people who live there.
This years edition of the summer school will be completed by a music festival that we organize together with the group of “Factory Area”. Stay tuned for further information on this.
Application form and link to the online information event: https://linktr.ee/simerilab
We are looking forward to meeting you in Italy!
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SimeriLab was launched in 2021 as an interdisciplinary laboratory for the cultural and social regeneration of the shrinking village Simeri in Southern Italy’s rural Calabria. The project is supported by the local cultural heritage association APS Asperitas, the Municipality of Simeri Crichi and Borneo Architecture.