Ermes
Ermes. Co-design exercises in the Department to experiment with Methodologies and Visual Experiences on the threshold concept
are an initiative created as part of the Koinótes residency at Casa degli Artisti in Milan. Progetti Specifici collaborates with Dear Onlus as an informal collective for the occasion.
The Koinótes residency, drawing inspiration from the term ‘koinótes’, signifies a profound connection between all life forms on our planet. This concept heralds a shift towards a post-anthropocentric era known as the Koinocene, a time marked by commonality, similarity, communion, participation, and relationship, offering a transformative vision for the future.
Under the guidance of Olga Gambari, the residency places the collective at the centre, building a community based on relationships, creative processes and sharing as its main principles.
The collaboration with Dear Onlus led to the selection of a course involving the community of the Child Neuropsychiatry department of the Regina Margherita Hospital in Turin. The participants include patients, mainly pre-adolescents and adolescents (11-18 years old), caregivers, healthcare personnel and educators.
Ermes uses a qualitative research method inspired by autoethnography and cultural probes, applying tools and techniques from the art world.
Both autoethnography and cultural probes make it possible to explore a specific cultural context by analysing the experiences and behaviour of the people involved. Autoethnography focuses on the analysis and narration of one’s own experiences, while cultural probes promote active interaction of the participants through the use of expressive tools designed to stimulate documentation and reflection on everyday life and context.
This approach aims to stimulate creativity and encourage the active participation of the Dear community. The information collected and materials produced enrich the cultural and artistic research conducted by Dear and Specific Projects. The aim is to effectively portray the complex and delicate reality of Child Neuropsychiatry, helping to raise awareness and promote understanding of the potential for social transformation of care settings through art and culture.
