ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Terraforma 2018: Experimental Music and Eco-Sustainability at Villa Arconati

festival-fair · 2026-04-27

Terraforma, an experimental music festival and eco-sustainable event, returns for its fifth edition from June 29 to July 1 at Villa Arconati in Bollate, Milan. Founder Ruggero Pietromarchi describes it as an unclassifiable community-driven project that blends live music, site-specific installations, and environmental restoration. This year's program includes performances by Felix Thorn with a mechanical sound system in the restored 18th-century labyrinth, a planetarium called Ecstaticstatic, and workshops with tombak master Mohammad Reza Mortazavi. The festival emphasizes zero-impact architecture, with interventions by Fosbury Architecture, Studio Zarcola, and Studio Petrucci, involving students from Politecnico di Milano. Camping is provided by Pop Up Hotel, offering eco-friendly tent suites. Pietromarchi envisions Terraforma as a model for territorial improvement across Italy, focusing on community and sustainability without institutional funding.

Key facts

  • Terraforma's fifth edition takes place June 29–July 1, 2018 at Villa Arconati, Bollate, Milan.
  • Founder Ruggero Pietromarchi started the festival with Alberto Brenta and Dario Nepoti in 2012.
  • The festival features experimental music, site-specific installations, talks, and workshops.
  • Felix Thorn will perform with a mechanical sound system in the restored 18th-century labyrinth.
  • Mohammad Reza Mortazavi, a tombak and daf master, leads workshops.
  • Architectural interventions by Fosbury Architecture, Studio Zarcola, and Studio Petrucci.
  • Pop Up Hotel provides eco-friendly camping with real beds and zero-impact setup.
  • The festival aims for zero environmental impact and includes restoration of the historic park.

Entities

Artists

  • Ruggero Pietromarchi
  • Felix Thorn
  • Mohammad Reza Mortazavi
  • Rabih Beaini
  • Donato Doddi
  • Alberto Brenta
  • Dario Nepoti
  • Mick Cozzolino
  • Lorenzo Senni
  • Caterina Barbieri
  • Suzanne Ciani
  • Ettore Sottsass
  • Jeremy Deller
  • Formafantasma
  • Terre Thaemlitz
  • Rebecca Salvadori
  • Paquita Gordon
  • Marc'Antonio Dal Re
  • Amnesia Scanner
  • Nkisi
  • Monolake
  • Bengt Carling
  • Don Cherry
  • Moki Cherry

Institutions

  • Terraforma
  • Villa Arconati
  • Fondazione Augusto Rancilio
  • Fosbury Architecture
  • Studio Zarcola
  • Studio Petrucci
  • Politecnico di Milano
  • Pop Up Hotel
  • Etica Sgr
  • Ponderosa Music & Art
  • Threes
  • Assab One
  • Negozio Olivetti di Venezia
  • MACRO
  • Bourse de Commerce
  • Space Caviar
  • Salottobuono
  • Artribune

Locations

  • Bollate
  • Milan
  • Italy
  • Villa Arconati
  • Venezia
  • Roma
  • Palermo
  • Napoli
  • Rome
  • Paris
  • France

Sources