Regaining a sense of belonging
Welcome to BelMondo
A multifunctional hybrid space for independent educational and cultural activity
The project saw the refurbishment of a school in a depopulated village. Based on the concept of Collaborative Rooms (a term found in offices for spaces for grouping and generating ideas) through a participatory building process bringing together local/global communities, the Casa is a hub of education and culture, a home for a Glocal community and a vessel to develop methodologies for reactivating marginal areas through knowledge exchange: challenging structures evolved in capitalist settings.
Italy
Regional
Calabria
It addresses urban-rural linkages
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)
Yes
2024-12-31
Yes
ERASMUS
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
As a representative of an organisation
In 2019, the Municipality offered LRDS the Casa to develop a cultural centre for Belmonte, having seen value in the group's methodologies of re-activating the territory: developing grass-roots-based models of place-based regeneration through temporary inhabitation. As part of the annual ‘Crossings’ festival in 2019 (an event where Glocal communities participate in a celebratory, transformative self-build event) and in collaboration with the architecture collective Orizzontale, additional multi-disciplinary partners, academics, students, migrants and the local community, the refurbishment began. Prioritising the development of urban strategies that strengthen the identity of this unique region, the Casa has become the ‘Cantiere Domestico’, where the building process blends into everyday life.
Resisting ‘modern’ societal tendencies to categorise, impose hierarchies, and prioritise ‘conventional’ knowledge, the Casa has become a built example of how thecollective production of space can operate in practice: and serve as a place where local traditions, knowledges, and crafts blend with modern perspectives. Focusing on relationships and processes, the refurbishment was completed gradually and has instigated and shaped local discussions that revealed opportunities to create change and empower the local community. The space has become a home for local groups who are supported and inspired to develop their cultural programs (involving the local musical and craft traditions), for refugees who have developed their own artistic practices and support organisations, and for international students who experience a different form of learning to that which the University can offer. The Casa is a Commonland. Crossing communities, living and learning-by-doing together in this Academy-not-Academy away from the pressures of formal academic settings, supports the skills of living together, which is important in a global climate of division, inequality and conflict.
Resisting ‘modern’ societal tendencies to categorise, impose hierarchies, and prioritise ‘conventional’ knowledge, the Casa has become a built example of how thecollective production of space can operate in practice: and serve as a place where local traditions, knowledges, and crafts blend with modern perspectives. Focusing on relationships and processes, the refurbishment was completed gradually and has instigated and shaped local discussions that revealed opportunities to create change and empower the local community. The space has become a home for local groups who are supported and inspired to develop their cultural programs (involving the local musical and craft traditions), for refugees who have developed their own artistic practices and support organisations, and for international students who experience a different form of learning to that which the University can offer. The Casa is a Commonland. Crossing communities, living and learning-by-doing together in this Academy-not-Academy away from the pressures of formal academic settings, supports the skills of living together, which is important in a global climate of division, inequality and conflict.
Collaboration
Community
Participation
Conviviality
Informal Learning
The town of Belmonte exists in a unique, fragile, and vulnerable landscape - close to volcanoes, within an earthquake zone, and perched precariously on a mountaintop, looking out towards the sea where the weather is changeable and often violent. Local residents in history have had a deep understanding and connection to this unique microclimate between mountain and sea, where particularly fertile soil gives rise to a unique zone for the cultivation of uncommon species, which is reflected in the rich culinary and medicinal heritage and plays an essential role in shaping the festive and communal events of the year.
For this reason, many passing residents to the Casa become fascinated by the transformation and interaction of this landscape: their relationship, co-existence, and co-dependence on the land. Many base their research whilst their practices here on these environmental factors - preservation, respect, and understanding of the unique and fragile network of humans and landscapes in Belmonte and globally. Through cooking and eating regional foods, foraging, and considering new ways of utilising the natural resources sustainably, ideas are constantly developing as the community of the space welcomes new visitors and facilitates collaborations with local specialists - demonstrating the project's power in providing a catalyst and vessel for instigating
sensitivity and heightened awareness of how to truly live within, as part of, a landscape, as part of a fragile ecosystem. Workshops hosted in the space, such as 'Architecture School of Commons', also consider the role of the non-human and how we can further become better aware of our position with a delicate network of human and non-human actors. 'Sustainability' is found through exploring local knowledge and practices, primarily through the idea of 'Commonland': how to live together within this rich but delicate landscape in a balanced way.
For this reason, many passing residents to the Casa become fascinated by the transformation and interaction of this landscape: their relationship, co-existence, and co-dependence on the land. Many base their research whilst their practices here on these environmental factors - preservation, respect, and understanding of the unique and fragile network of humans and landscapes in Belmonte and globally. Through cooking and eating regional foods, foraging, and considering new ways of utilising the natural resources sustainably, ideas are constantly developing as the community of the space welcomes new visitors and facilitates collaborations with local specialists - demonstrating the project's power in providing a catalyst and vessel for instigating
sensitivity and heightened awareness of how to truly live within, as part of, a landscape, as part of a fragile ecosystem. Workshops hosted in the space, such as 'Architecture School of Commons', also consider the role of the non-human and how we can further become better aware of our position with a delicate network of human and non-human actors. 'Sustainability' is found through exploring local knowledge and practices, primarily through the idea of 'Commonland': how to live together within this rich but delicate landscape in a balanced way.
Belmonte is unique and utterly different to many other settings. Firstly, the old town itself and
the landscape it sits within is beautiful. The layout of the narrow streets, the public spaces that blur into private, and the organic and human-scale Old Town imprint on imaginations, encouraging a thoughtful, playful and contemplative way of being that a modern urban environment drowns out.
The enchantment felt by the visitors reminds local communities of the unique specialness of their home: its potential and right to care and protection. In a region that has experienced poverty, emigration, under-investment, and poor urban planning, fresh eyes and enthusiasm give rise to new hope, engagement and motivation to invest and fully inhabit.
The Casa has provided a container that has touched the unique life stories of those who have passed through its doors. For example, a young woman who arrived as a refugee has used the space and the support it provides as a platform to develop a weekly workshop where refugee children feel warmth and positivity, learn the language and get a basic education through the medium of craft. Another example is how elderly residents of the town who were educated in the Casa many decades ago now re-enter the space again, taking joy in walking around the space telling the new, young users of the school about their experiences there - passing on stories that may have otherwise have been lost to time. In the hands of a new international audience, these recollections, recipes, songs, traditions, and ways of being within the landscape become helpful again. They are combined with other international perspectives to create new, exciting ideas. For students who join the Casa community, the daily life of the Casa provides a chance to reevaluate urban life. Experimenting together by cooking local food in the convivial Casa, students can indeed be together, often hard to come by in their stressed uni day-to-day.
the landscape it sits within is beautiful. The layout of the narrow streets, the public spaces that blur into private, and the organic and human-scale Old Town imprint on imaginations, encouraging a thoughtful, playful and contemplative way of being that a modern urban environment drowns out.
The enchantment felt by the visitors reminds local communities of the unique specialness of their home: its potential and right to care and protection. In a region that has experienced poverty, emigration, under-investment, and poor urban planning, fresh eyes and enthusiasm give rise to new hope, engagement and motivation to invest and fully inhabit.
The Casa has provided a container that has touched the unique life stories of those who have passed through its doors. For example, a young woman who arrived as a refugee has used the space and the support it provides as a platform to develop a weekly workshop where refugee children feel warmth and positivity, learn the language and get a basic education through the medium of craft. Another example is how elderly residents of the town who were educated in the Casa many decades ago now re-enter the space again, taking joy in walking around the space telling the new, young users of the school about their experiences there - passing on stories that may have otherwise have been lost to time. In the hands of a new international audience, these recollections, recipes, songs, traditions, and ways of being within the landscape become helpful again. They are combined with other international perspectives to create new, exciting ideas. For students who join the Casa community, the daily life of the Casa provides a chance to reevaluate urban life. Experimenting together by cooking local food in the convivial Casa, students can indeed be together, often hard to come by in their stressed uni day-to-day.
The project provides an excellent example of ways of developing new societal models and experimenting with forms of cohabitation. In managing and organising events here, local actors and visiting organisations have had to create new forms of partnership and modes of collaboration.
Through this, the project has given rise to situations in which the challenges and issues of self-governance within rural and marginalised areas can be explored, and solutions can be found. These also have the potential to be transferred into urban settings and used as a critique and challenge to forms of top-down governance, especially in areas of regeneration and zones where development projects are taking place. This may be partly because the building process and ongoing cultural and workshop activities in the Casa simultaneously build space and community. As the two develop side-by-side, the resulting environment and public spaces are generated directly from the participants' voices. They are sensitive to context and inclusive and retain the charm, magic and uniqueness often lost in top-down design processes. The Casa has provided a catalyst for local and regional government actors to reconsider the potential of its spaces, local traditions, and voice within a global community. The Casa has inspired projects in the Castle, Library, and other public spaces, through which new participators are welcomed to the town. The Casa has given the municipality grounds to win funding for improving the accessibility of the town: improved paving and lighting on pedestrian routes and an entire renovation
of all the public amenities needed to make the Castle Garden a safe and accessible public space for all. The Casa is an inclusive, flexible space free to those in need. It shrinks and expands to accommodate all inhabitants, from some children shaping pottery to 60 students engaged in intense workshops.
Through this, the project has given rise to situations in which the challenges and issues of self-governance within rural and marginalised areas can be explored, and solutions can be found. These also have the potential to be transferred into urban settings and used as a critique and challenge to forms of top-down governance, especially in areas of regeneration and zones where development projects are taking place. This may be partly because the building process and ongoing cultural and workshop activities in the Casa simultaneously build space and community. As the two develop side-by-side, the resulting environment and public spaces are generated directly from the participants' voices. They are sensitive to context and inclusive and retain the charm, magic and uniqueness often lost in top-down design processes. The Casa has provided a catalyst for local and regional government actors to reconsider the potential of its spaces, local traditions, and voice within a global community. The Casa has inspired projects in the Castle, Library, and other public spaces, through which new participators are welcomed to the town. The Casa has given the municipality grounds to win funding for improving the accessibility of the town: improved paving and lighting on pedestrian routes and an entire renovation
of all the public amenities needed to make the Castle Garden a safe and accessible public space for all. The Casa is an inclusive, flexible space free to those in need. It shrinks and expands to accommodate all inhabitants, from some children shaping pottery to 60 students engaged in intense workshops.
In questioning and experimenting with the interaction between local and global communities, both
visitors and permanent citizens of the Casa BelMondo community benefit.
The townsfolk have benefitted from the re-inhabitation of an energetic, transient and youthful community, who both question and celebrate their new surroundings. In turn, this community has benefitted from absorbing the unique and magical attitude towards communal life and appreciation of the delicate balance of a networked universe, ecosystems, and life cycles (both human and nonhuman) that exists in Calabria's diffuse and widely amalgamated complex traditions and folklore.
Streets that were relatively empty for many years due to de-population through emigration and travel of younger people to the North are once again full of questioning voices - and local young people, who perhaps do not have the opportunity, resources or desire to travel and partake in comparable urban existences to the visiting students from other areas of Europe, become part of
unique and ever-changing global communities of young creative thinkers who can inspire each other
within their studies and Practices - a diffuse and fluid School which also facilitates the formation of
friendships and encourages learning everyday skills from one another's cultures, such as cooking, language, music, and dance. In a time where dangerous and narrow-minded tendencies present in some areas manipulate young minds by creating divisions and hierarchies through the differences between cultures, the Casa demonstrates an environment where the richness of cultural diversity can be combined healthily with pride towards one's roots. Diversity and uniqueness are celebrated in a reflective, convivial way and become points of exchange, new combinations, and creativity. Traditions are kept alive, shaping visions for sustainable and inclusive futures for industry and society.
visitors and permanent citizens of the Casa BelMondo community benefit.
The townsfolk have benefitted from the re-inhabitation of an energetic, transient and youthful community, who both question and celebrate their new surroundings. In turn, this community has benefitted from absorbing the unique and magical attitude towards communal life and appreciation of the delicate balance of a networked universe, ecosystems, and life cycles (both human and nonhuman) that exists in Calabria's diffuse and widely amalgamated complex traditions and folklore.
Streets that were relatively empty for many years due to de-population through emigration and travel of younger people to the North are once again full of questioning voices - and local young people, who perhaps do not have the opportunity, resources or desire to travel and partake in comparable urban existences to the visiting students from other areas of Europe, become part of
unique and ever-changing global communities of young creative thinkers who can inspire each other
within their studies and Practices - a diffuse and fluid School which also facilitates the formation of
friendships and encourages learning everyday skills from one another's cultures, such as cooking, language, music, and dance. In a time where dangerous and narrow-minded tendencies present in some areas manipulate young minds by creating divisions and hierarchies through the differences between cultures, the Casa demonstrates an environment where the richness of cultural diversity can be combined healthily with pride towards one's roots. Diversity and uniqueness are celebrated in a reflective, convivial way and become points of exchange, new combinations, and creativity. Traditions are kept alive, shaping visions for sustainable and inclusive futures for industry and society.
To run both the building workshops that have transformed the Casa's physical space and provide support and facilitate residencies for local/global participants (who have used the space for other cultural activities, education and research alongside the evolving build), a diverse network of stakeholders has evolved. This multi-disciplinary group ranges from local groups to PhD tutors/research institutions, experts in communication, art, music, and graphics, local governors/politicians, Architects, other Collectives, and local/international craftspeople. Every unique challenge and workshop or residency gives rise to the Casa to expand its network, demonstrating how this building project and ongoing inhabitation continues to bring a range of worlds into contact, instigating learning and change through knowledge exchange at all levels, questioning 'traditional' ideas surrounding top-down production of knowledge.
Architecture Collective Orrizontale, students and tutors, passing residents, the Municipality of Belmonte Calabro, local craftspeople and volunteers have worked together to craft the
space physically. Orizzontale led the technical and managerial side of the building project with Le Seppie. They collectively coordinated with local communities and universities to bring groups together in workshops to build. During these intense workshops, Le Seppie collaborated with experts from the local and global community to provide non-building strands to these workshops - exploring the local territory and culture: the environment, traditions, challenges, and opportunities.
This vast and diverse network finds resilience through its many strands and nodes. This method of cross-disciplinary networking centred around a hub in a marginalised rural area is a valuable model for mechanisms to strengthen rural and urban areas where community voices can become lost in discussions surrounding the regeneration or re-invigoration of the area.
Architecture Collective Orrizontale, students and tutors, passing residents, the Municipality of Belmonte Calabro, local craftspeople and volunteers have worked together to craft the
space physically. Orizzontale led the technical and managerial side of the building project with Le Seppie. They collectively coordinated with local communities and universities to bring groups together in workshops to build. During these intense workshops, Le Seppie collaborated with experts from the local and global community to provide non-building strands to these workshops - exploring the local territory and culture: the environment, traditions, challenges, and opportunities.
This vast and diverse network finds resilience through its many strands and nodes. This method of cross-disciplinary networking centred around a hub in a marginalised rural area is a valuable model for mechanisms to strengthen rural and urban areas where community voices can become lost in discussions surrounding the regeneration or re-invigoration of the area.
An element of the cross-disciplinary process building of the Casa that has been particularly unique
and successful is the foundation of Studio South, a strand of Le Seppie’s involvement with developing alternatives to ‘formal’ educational models. This involved residencies from tutors and students from a London University inhabiting the Casa as an alternative to the traditional student Architecture studio, with students choosing to evolve their projects around sites in the local territory while working on parts of the refurbishment project. Whilst here, tutors based their own academic
research papers on the region - following the impact of this unique area, being embedded in the site,
being a participant in physically changing the space one was in,and being an actor within the field to
which one was researching the learning process.
As students and subsequent residents from all walks of life develop their strands of research in the area, they inherently build relationships with the local community: craftspeople, experts, bar workers, and passers-by. This differs perhaps from ‘conventional’ or even ‘colonial’ top-down ‘research’ models where an academic ‘learn’ from a place, but their ‘research’ is paper-based, differs in theory and practise, and is not produced indeed in collaboration, in a horizontal way, with the local communities to
which they interact with and do not necessarily give positive feedback to the local community. The unique space of the Casa and Belmonte fully immerses researchers, students, and academics as
participants within this community and environment.
For example, local craftspeople and students work together on building elements; through this, they develop new building techniques and become friends. This emotional aspect of the relationships found through the process of transforming the spaces of the Casa and Belmonte is close to the heart of the project.
and successful is the foundation of Studio South, a strand of Le Seppie’s involvement with developing alternatives to ‘formal’ educational models. This involved residencies from tutors and students from a London University inhabiting the Casa as an alternative to the traditional student Architecture studio, with students choosing to evolve their projects around sites in the local territory while working on parts of the refurbishment project. Whilst here, tutors based their own academic
research papers on the region - following the impact of this unique area, being embedded in the site,
being a participant in physically changing the space one was in,and being an actor within the field to
which one was researching the learning process.
As students and subsequent residents from all walks of life develop their strands of research in the area, they inherently build relationships with the local community: craftspeople, experts, bar workers, and passers-by. This differs perhaps from ‘conventional’ or even ‘colonial’ top-down ‘research’ models where an academic ‘learn’ from a place, but their ‘research’ is paper-based, differs in theory and practise, and is not produced indeed in collaboration, in a horizontal way, with the local communities to
which they interact with and do not necessarily give positive feedback to the local community. The unique space of the Casa and Belmonte fully immerses researchers, students, and academics as
participants within this community and environment.
For example, local craftspeople and students work together on building elements; through this, they develop new building techniques and become friends. This emotional aspect of the relationships found through the process of transforming the spaces of the Casa and Belmonte is close to the heart of the project.
The re-development of the School into a vessel for cross-cultural exchange and co-production of
knowledge, as well as a springboard for local community initiatives, has had many other side effects,
some intended, some happy surprises. For example, local eyes have been focused, and more global eyes turned to the uniqueness of Belmonte, the preciousness of this fragile place. Often, it is not until something is under threat that it truly becomes visible, and with much of the locally embedded knowledge of this place moving out of first-hand memory, the renewed interest in preserving this immaterial cultural wealth has become a cornerstone of living BelMondo.
We notice that those who pass through Belmonte leave changed: perhaps the experience and atmosphere help to develop further sensitivities and fluency in the ‘arts of everyday life’: the give-and-take needed for successful and strong relationships to grow, the skills of conflict resolution. This is an element, like so many of the experiences of this place, whether it be physically building, writing, cooking, or simply ‘being’, that cannot be taught directly - and modern life does not necessarily
facilitate well for - with environments favouring and encouraging individualism, insecurity. The cultural crossings and becoming 'beginners' together create an environment where conflict resolution abilities are intuitively developed.
As the Casa is flexible, so are the methodologies developed here, and the project is in an interesting
phase. As the build of the Casa is completed and the yearly self-build workshops turn their attention to
the public spaces within the town, the community who have collaborated to bring the project to this
point are in a reflective stage, considering: where else can these Glocal tools be applied? How can
we further share the successes of Belmonte’s ‘Glocal’ community, and how can the methodologies
that have built the new Cultural Centre for the town in the refurbished school travel?
knowledge, as well as a springboard for local community initiatives, has had many other side effects,
some intended, some happy surprises. For example, local eyes have been focused, and more global eyes turned to the uniqueness of Belmonte, the preciousness of this fragile place. Often, it is not until something is under threat that it truly becomes visible, and with much of the locally embedded knowledge of this place moving out of first-hand memory, the renewed interest in preserving this immaterial cultural wealth has become a cornerstone of living BelMondo.
We notice that those who pass through Belmonte leave changed: perhaps the experience and atmosphere help to develop further sensitivities and fluency in the ‘arts of everyday life’: the give-and-take needed for successful and strong relationships to grow, the skills of conflict resolution. This is an element, like so many of the experiences of this place, whether it be physically building, writing, cooking, or simply ‘being’, that cannot be taught directly - and modern life does not necessarily
facilitate well for - with environments favouring and encouraging individualism, insecurity. The cultural crossings and becoming 'beginners' together create an environment where conflict resolution abilities are intuitively developed.
As the Casa is flexible, so are the methodologies developed here, and the project is in an interesting
phase. As the build of the Casa is completed and the yearly self-build workshops turn their attention to
the public spaces within the town, the community who have collaborated to bring the project to this
point are in a reflective stage, considering: where else can these Glocal tools be applied? How can
we further share the successes of Belmonte’s ‘Glocal’ community, and how can the methodologies
that have built the new Cultural Centre for the town in the refurbished school travel?
The project has developed, and has been developed, through what has become known as the
‘Glocal tools’. These are Horizontality, Learning by doing, Conviviality, Participation, Transdisciplinarianism,
Re-use, Self-build, and Experimentation. The ‘Seppie’ (squid-like creature) that gives the organisation a name is an organism that learns about its dark sea-floor surroundings through touch, intuition and exploration - a good image for describing the project's approach to inhabiting and transforming space.
Horizontally applies to disrupting ideas of hierarchy that may arise in traditional working environments, teacher/student relationships, or visiting researcher/local resident relationships. It also refers to questioning barriers between work and life, what is official and unofficial - the
everyday tasks of being and living together, of an equally shared duty of care towards one another,
as important as ‘professional’ or material needs. This links to conviviality - something that arises quite naturally when groups are engaged in creating something together. Re-use is not just of the physical infrastructure of the Old Town but also through the re-use of ideas, traditions and knowledge. Through attending to maintaining an unbroken thread of past into the present, of amalgamating rather than destroying, a richer and more fertile ground for future communities is created. Working cross-disciplinary has shown that even the most seasoned professional can learn from a student, whilst a student might discover a new inspiration in something revealed in a memory imparted in a riddle by an elderly local resident.
Learning-by-doing, experimentation and self-build approaches to refurbishment have helped both
local and visiting communities overcome the fear of taking action due to fear or error, encouraging proactive,
playful approaches which give rise to novel solutions to challenges - of seeing opportunity in what was perhaps initially considered a mistake.
‘Glocal tools’. These are Horizontality, Learning by doing, Conviviality, Participation, Transdisciplinarianism,
Re-use, Self-build, and Experimentation. The ‘Seppie’ (squid-like creature) that gives the organisation a name is an organism that learns about its dark sea-floor surroundings through touch, intuition and exploration - a good image for describing the project's approach to inhabiting and transforming space.
Horizontally applies to disrupting ideas of hierarchy that may arise in traditional working environments, teacher/student relationships, or visiting researcher/local resident relationships. It also refers to questioning barriers between work and life, what is official and unofficial - the
everyday tasks of being and living together, of an equally shared duty of care towards one another,
as important as ‘professional’ or material needs. This links to conviviality - something that arises quite naturally when groups are engaged in creating something together. Re-use is not just of the physical infrastructure of the Old Town but also through the re-use of ideas, traditions and knowledge. Through attending to maintaining an unbroken thread of past into the present, of amalgamating rather than destroying, a richer and more fertile ground for future communities is created. Working cross-disciplinary has shown that even the most seasoned professional can learn from a student, whilst a student might discover a new inspiration in something revealed in a memory imparted in a riddle by an elderly local resident.
Learning-by-doing, experimentation and self-build approaches to refurbishment have helped both
local and visiting communities overcome the fear of taking action due to fear or error, encouraging proactive,
playful approaches which give rise to novel solutions to challenges - of seeing opportunity in what was perhaps initially considered a mistake.
The Glocal tools can be replicated and transferred to urban and rural contexts on various scales. To think about scale further: Like the squid finding its way underwater, in the Casa, the initial experiments began with creating a chair - a local metalworker had created metal frames, to which a diverse range of participants evolved timber structures - some staying in the Casa, some migrating around the town to temporarily transform and generate new potentials for the public spaces of the town. The very same approach and methods used to create this portable and human-scale object proved scaleable in the approach to the refurbishment of the rooms of the Casa itself - the old School providing the memory of a space and the physical framework, to which experimental and organically evolving built interventions, some permanent, some temporary gradually developed. The same methodologies and tools are now being evolved and experimented with on larger scales and within the
digital realm - for example, the collective has begun considering how digital platforms can become
virtual spaces for expanding this field of cross-cultural collaboration and learning and for keeping the past alive and relevant to new generations. Architecturally, the approach to starting a regeneration project from a small-scale object, uniquely tailored to its space and use, its niche environment, yet still speaking to a broader family of objects, helps develop toolkits for supporting grass-roots activists and local communities in areas of controversial urban regeneration projects - providing an alternative model to top-down modes of ‘place-making’. As every combination of residents and local community who participate in life in the Casa is unique, the learnings and outcomes of the project are unpredictable and unique to their setting. The toolkit's flexibility and ambiguity strengthen it as a framework that allows organic, relevant, place-based outcomes to develop.
digital realm - for example, the collective has begun considering how digital platforms can become
virtual spaces for expanding this field of cross-cultural collaboration and learning and for keeping the past alive and relevant to new generations. Architecturally, the approach to starting a regeneration project from a small-scale object, uniquely tailored to its space and use, its niche environment, yet still speaking to a broader family of objects, helps develop toolkits for supporting grass-roots activists and local communities in areas of controversial urban regeneration projects - providing an alternative model to top-down modes of ‘place-making’. As every combination of residents and local community who participate in life in the Casa is unique, the learnings and outcomes of the project are unpredictable and unique to their setting. The toolkit's flexibility and ambiguity strengthen it as a framework that allows organic, relevant, place-based outcomes to develop.
We live in dangerous and fragile times, where intersecting crises threaten all global communities.
The effects of a changing climate begin to be felt, especially within communities that are already
vulnerable or under pressure, and conflicts become intensified as issues such as shortages of resources, natural disasters, historically unresolved differences and unresolved enforced inequalities lead to intensified competition over territory and tensions.
It becomes increasingly evident to those in power (perhaps, with some, not quickly enough) that the
structures and industries we have been basing in ‘modern’ societies may no longer be relevant or helpful in finding ways of living together in a rapidly changing world. Answers and learnings can be derived from experimenting with combining new thoughts and ideas with older traditions that demonstrate how to live in balance with local environments - perhaps through re-inhabiting rural and marginalised areas, where existing infrastructure, both physical and immaterial, acts as a shell we can inhabit to develop future ways of Living together in times of change. Calabria and Belmonte, in particular, are unique in this sense, in that the fragility, inequality and poverty the community have faced here has given rise to resilient and complex ways of approaching community challenges, of negotiating change, and of a particular way of valuing the non-human and environmental aspects of the surroundings. However, every unique geographical niche in our diverse global territory will also demonstrate aspects of these things - it is a hope that the Casa inspires the potential of existing, disused infrastructure in developing diffuse cultural centres in marginalised areas using the ‘Glocal’ methodologies to explore their unique territories - whilst remaining globally connected. This begins as we see our partners and collaborators inhabiting other comparable territories across Europe.
The effects of a changing climate begin to be felt, especially within communities that are already
vulnerable or under pressure, and conflicts become intensified as issues such as shortages of resources, natural disasters, historically unresolved differences and unresolved enforced inequalities lead to intensified competition over territory and tensions.
It becomes increasingly evident to those in power (perhaps, with some, not quickly enough) that the
structures and industries we have been basing in ‘modern’ societies may no longer be relevant or helpful in finding ways of living together in a rapidly changing world. Answers and learnings can be derived from experimenting with combining new thoughts and ideas with older traditions that demonstrate how to live in balance with local environments - perhaps through re-inhabiting rural and marginalised areas, where existing infrastructure, both physical and immaterial, acts as a shell we can inhabit to develop future ways of Living together in times of change. Calabria and Belmonte, in particular, are unique in this sense, in that the fragility, inequality and poverty the community have faced here has given rise to resilient and complex ways of approaching community challenges, of negotiating change, and of a particular way of valuing the non-human and environmental aspects of the surroundings. However, every unique geographical niche in our diverse global territory will also demonstrate aspects of these things - it is a hope that the Casa inspires the potential of existing, disused infrastructure in developing diffuse cultural centres in marginalised areas using the ‘Glocal’ methodologies to explore their unique territories - whilst remaining globally connected. This begins as we see our partners and collaborators inhabiting other comparable territories across Europe.
The refurbishment and re-inhabitation of the Casa has been a slow process. Still, after many years, the methodologies developed during this process and their impacts and potential can be seen more clearly. The local community of Belmonte has seen further gradual investment in area cultural and environmental development, with the Casa now connecting with and supporting projects
in both the Castle and Library. The project has become a centre for generating ideas for other public spaces, where local traditions and the heritage of these local practices are linked to the international community and kept relevant in modern times. The diffuse projects that have stemmed from within Casa have allowed BelMondo to travel to international festivals, where it has given voice to refugee communities (Milan Triennale) and drawn attention to environmental fragility (Venice Biennale) and local craft (Malta Biennal). The Casa has become a home for international residency, allowing it to connect with several universities across Europe and increasing the reach of its impact in providing alternative modes of approaching education and different ways of living. The effect on the broader global community of Belmonte becomes evident in the evolving practices of those who have joined the community of Belmonte temporarily and its role as a ground for education. This is harder to measure, but the crossings that occur here and the unique way of life in the place stay with residents, many continuing to develop their practices in socially and environmentally sustainable ways, continually questioning conventional modes of Practice within their field. Apart from the physical evidence of the numerous projects that have been worked on collaboratively in this space, there is specific energy to Casa Belmondo and the strong relationships between local and global communities that endure here and have sustained the project through challenges, such as the pandemic.
in both the Castle and Library. The project has become a centre for generating ideas for other public spaces, where local traditions and the heritage of these local practices are linked to the international community and kept relevant in modern times. The diffuse projects that have stemmed from within Casa have allowed BelMondo to travel to international festivals, where it has given voice to refugee communities (Milan Triennale) and drawn attention to environmental fragility (Venice Biennale) and local craft (Malta Biennal). The Casa has become a home for international residency, allowing it to connect with several universities across Europe and increasing the reach of its impact in providing alternative modes of approaching education and different ways of living. The effect on the broader global community of Belmonte becomes evident in the evolving practices of those who have joined the community of Belmonte temporarily and its role as a ground for education. This is harder to measure, but the crossings that occur here and the unique way of life in the place stay with residents, many continuing to develop their practices in socially and environmentally sustainable ways, continually questioning conventional modes of Practice within their field. Apart from the physical evidence of the numerous projects that have been worked on collaboratively in this space, there is specific energy to Casa Belmondo and the strong relationships between local and global communities that endure here and have sustained the project through challenges, such as the pandemic.
