IED Master of Arts Graduates Confront Climate, Housing, and Labor Crises Under 'Design X Commons' Theme

Key facts

• IED Master of Arts programs adopt the theme Design X Commons, treating design as a mediator between communities and common goods.
• The programs define commons as material and immaterial resources including water, land, air, cultural knowledge, open data, and public spaces.
• Michele Martelloni's 'Systemic Reef' at IED Milano addresses coastal erosion along the Apuan shoreline using waste marble powder and a five-step coastal management protocol.
• Ana Sofia Camacho's 'En la Olla. Narratives of Joyful Subversion' explores Latin American cultural identity through everyday expressions and creative play as resistance.
• Olga Matsiuk's 'Where did water go?' proposes a temporary public bathing festival around an underused fountain in Piazza Kaisserlian, Milan, to advocate for reopening closed public swimming facilities.
• Elena Bicocchi's 'Strada domestica' at IED Roma reclaims Via Valesio in the Tuscolano district from automobile traffic, creating a resident-managed civic center.
• Ruby Berryman's 'Invisible Hands' examines labor conditions of immigrant workers in Tuscany's luxury fashion supply chain and launched the Mani Visibili online platform for legal guidance and worker organizing.
• Virginia Urro's 'COHO MUNITY' converts the disused Manifattura di Moncalieri industrial site into a cohousing ecosystem with shared domestic spaces and modular living units.