The Impact of Crisis and Diaspora on Design Culture and Events

Abstract

The paper aims to investigate the correlation and the symmetry between times of crisis with creativity and new forms of cultural and social life in the cities. The authors’ hypothesis is that temporary cultural events, often triggered by the experience of marginal urban groups, could become effective tools to measure regeneration and reactivation for contemporary cities. More and more, nowadays it’s evident the increasing relevance and impact of times of crisis to determine unexpected cultural and social transformations, easily traceable in the underground cultural production. The research compares two dramatic events with irreversible impacts on cultural and social dynamics: the diaspora caused by the war in Kosovo and the economic and financial crisis caused by the pandemic which has drastically shut down investments in almost all cultural and creative sectors of society in Italy. This investigation endeavors to give an account to significant experiences of different creativity models and projects in relation to different social and historical contexts, to observe different development phases of cultural and creative maturity in the urban tissues. The paper, by comparing Pristina and Bologna, will highlight in the conclusion similarities and variations of approaches, engagement processes and the degree of enabling environment.

Keywords

• crisis
• diaspora
• creativity
• urban events
• cultural vibrancy