Stories of journey
Basic information
Project Title
Full project title
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Project Description
Stories of Journey is a collection of wooden objects designed by Alice Del Balio and Federica Pierro with two African artisan produced by social enterprise “Terra di Tutti”. The project tells us about their migrant journey started in Africa. They crossed deserts, roads and eventually the sea, before being here today in Segromigno in Italy to tell us about it.
Project Region
EU Programme or fund
Description of the project
Summary
Stories of Journey is a collection of wooden objects designed by Alice Del Balio and Federica Pierro with two African artisan produced by social enterprise “Terra di Tutti”. The project tells us about their migrant journey started in Africa. They crossed deserts, roads and eventually the sea, before being here today in Segromigno in Italy to tell us about it.
The four objects in the collection represent the different stages faced:
The Boat is the symbol of the voyage at sea, the engraving 100050 GMD tells us about a way of travelling that not many people know about: the clandestine.The numbers corresponds to those we know as 1759 € , and they are all the money that one boy would need to spend on his emigration trip.
Part of the journey can be covered by bus. You buy a ticket, go up and maybe you have the chance to take a sit , but you don’t really know exactly how your stop will look like. 17496 H represents the total hours spent on the journey. With time it also contains faith, fear, the need to go elsewhere and the courage to do it.
More important than any other means of transport are one's legs. When the head has already decided to leave, then the legs are the protagonists of the first step. From 0 to 14737: the kilometers of the world crossed, trampled, with uncertain, short and long steps, steps taken by running and chasing an idea of destination to be reached.
Red like strength and resourcefulness, without writing but intense and not without communication. The fourth is the object of good luck, of hope. The idea of ending the trip is only an illusion. We must never stop moving, because the goal of our trouble is not a physical place to arrive, but it is the type of person we want to become.
The objects are part of a single collection, but at the same time each of them represents an independent piece. For this reason they are characterized by four different names: Lamin, the feet; Bah, the coach; Adama, the boat; Yaya, the bicycle.
Key objectives for sustainability
Storie in viaggio is a project that aims to generate an environmentally friendly approach to development. The term sustainability has been applied here by using scrap materials, such as wood from pallets, or recycled paper for packaging. Social sustainability also played a role, in trying to respond to other goals of the 20-30 agenda, such as reducing inequality, fighting poverty and making the community sustainable. The project stems from the story of two young African men and their clandestine journey to get from Africa to Italy. The idea is to allow disadvantaged people to recount their experiences and integrate them into society in order to give them a better future.
Key objectives for aesthetics and quality
The aim is to tell the story of migrant travel experiences to as wide an audience as possible; this translates into an aesthetically essential design. The wooden finish underlines the uniqueness of each object by highlighting a branded engraving, which evokes in the user the curiosity to discover the message of the project. Only one object is different from all the others, without inscriptions, but it is also intense and not devoid of communication. The red colour of the bicycle, the object used on the last leg of the journey, becomes the symbol of hope for a better life. The packaging and the illustrative graphics contribute to a simple and clear communication, allowing the user to delve into one part of the journey at a time. The collection consists of four objects: Adama, Lamin, Bah and Yaya. They can be purchased together or separately without losing the sense of narrative.
Key objectives for inclusion
"How did you get to Italy?" The project was born of that simple question. Two young people answered it, recounting their journey that began in a small town in Africa. The path was neither linear nor simple, as were their words that conveyed not only fragility and pain, but also a great desire for a new life. From the very beginning, one of the key objectives of the project was to create something with them and not just about them. Words, gestures, drawings and writings were the materials that Alice and Federica had at their disposal. The objects speak of their journey and their experiences, but they are presented in a unique and universal way: everyone can feel part of the story. Storie in viaggio is realized by Impresa Sociale, which aims to reintegrate disadvantaged people into society through their work. The terms of inclusion achieved involve a fair exchange in which everyone, in their own small way and respective roles, can contribute to a community of solidarity in which diversity and inclusion must be an added value.
Results in relation to category
The impacts achieved are all part of a circular economic system. We use waste materials from companies and private individuals, while the production phase is based on the craftsmanship of underprivileged people. The social enterprise "Terra di Tutti" strongly believes in working together, in intercultural experimentation and creative recycling. Storie in viaggio is a game for children, but at the same time it is a multilayered object that tells a refined story. Adults and children can share something that can be of interest to them both, and it is in the combination of these two different experiences that a learning process can be created, one that becomes stronger through the influence of each other.
How Citizens benefit
Citizens benefit from the project by contributing to a circular economy. Waste materials are collected by companies or individuals and reused, thus involving intercultural creativity and the enhancement of craft skills. By purchasing the collection of products, citizens will be made aware of a reality that is not only environmentally sustainable, but above all socially responsible, thereby enabling the development and integration of disadvantaged people into society.
Innovative character
Storie in viaggio is a collection of products based on real-life migrant stories. The project was born from the story of two African boys and wants to be a way to redeem those who had the courage to leave in search of a better life. The engravings are a reminder of the difficulties they encountered, such as the 1759 euros paid for the journey or the 14737 km of land crossed. The innovative character of the project lies in the way it communicates the journey, which was not simply a journey from Africa to Italy, but a journey of life, which does not end in a particular place. For our yearning is not a physical place to arrive, but the kind of person we want to become.
