Abstract:

The crisis of established disciplines, often characterized by rigid "disciplinary boxes," has resulted in a series of innovative teaching experiments in recent years, which have seen the opening of "boxes" with the overcoming of traditional disciplinary boundaries, while firmly maintaining the identification of the core of characterizing knowledge.

Disciplines, which were previously well-defined and separated, are now viewed as interconnected and complementary, and students are encouraged to explore various fields of knowledge, fostering the development of cross-curricular skills and a more comprehensive and multifaceted understanding of the project's complexity.

In this context, Politecnico di Milano organized an interdisciplinary workshop in February 2024, involving students from the School of Design and the School of Architecture Urban Planning Construction Engineering, representing ten different Courses of Study, proposing a shared activity to groups different in age, course of study, and nationality.

The workshop is part of the Open Atelier initiative, which brings together four European Houses Museum, a creative performance group, and two universities to construct an interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral network created and sponsored by the European Commission's Creative Europe Program.

Open Atelier strives to involve young adults in museums' cultural heritage by studying, interpreting, and presenting it using current means; the workshop aims to put such involvement to the test, beginning with each institution's past and developing novel and collaborative formats for the interpretation and enjoyment of European museum collections in the current scenario.

Beginning with the Open Atelier project manifesto, students interested in participating were invited to submit their CVs and a motivational letter referring to the focus of the workshop and the SDGs.

Next, each selected student was asked to investigate in a creative, multimedia, and multidisciplinary manner the potential interaction between museum content and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), developing a critical interpretation that linked a museum (assigned by faculty) to an SDG (selected by the student). The unique and experimental method of examining and interpreting the artwork was systematized based on the students' backgrounds and courses of study at the Politecnico di Milano, ensuring maximum variability in the working groups.

The workshop focused on developing an innovative project that could use any media, tool, or format to promote new audience-centered participatory museum experiences, particularly for young adults, resulting in increased collections visits, innovation and creativity within the museum, collaborative networking, and a higher level of inclusion.

The presence of students from several disciplines resulted in the construction of eight highly distinct concepts that include unique ideas for developing solutions for places, services, and communication at various scales, ranging from interiors to landscape design, to performance and competition design.

The concepts will be presented in September 2024 during the 60th International Exhibition of Art in Venice, with the goal of increasing their effect and future exploitation in promoting the activities of cultural institutions with public participation.

Keywords:

Interdisciplinarity, engagement young adults, participatory approach, co-creative approach.