Wetland Designers – Liminal Research ETS

What if ecological restoration became a collective cultural act?

Wetland Designers is a participatory art–science project in which students, researchers, artists, and local institutions collaboratively designed over 10 hectares of new wetland landscape. Not as an abstract exercise — but as a concrete intervention capable of reshaping territory, perception, and responsibility.

On the edge of the Riserva Naturale Foce dell’Isonzo, where abandoned agricultural fields meet one of the most important wetlands in the northern Adriatic, Wetland Designers asked a radical question: what if ecological restoration became a collective cultural act?

PHASE I

field exploration

PHASE II

wetland hunting

PHASE III

machine learning

PHASE IV

field recordings

PHASE V

participatory design

with Matteo De Luca – scientific director of Isola della Cona

Under the expert guidance of Matteo De Luca, the reserve’s scientific director and naturalist, students from ISIS BEM high-school observed the biodiversity of Isola della Cona up close, gathering visual, auditory, and photographic impressions of the surrounding environment.
During the visit, they also learned about the ecological and engineering principles behind the construction and maintenance of freshwater wetlands, such
as those found on Isola della Cona.

This experience was a fundamental step in developing a conscious design approach that takes real environmental dynamics into account.

The group was able to gather useful ideas and knowledge for the next phase of the project: imagining, designing, and modeling a new section of wetland, combining scientific observation, creativity, and attention to ecological sustainability.

PHASE I

Field Exploration

PHASE I

Field Exploration

PHASE I

Field Exploration

PHASE I

Field Exploration

with Benedetta Pagni and Francesco Scarel

A workshop to showcase the variety and richness of wetland ecosystems through:

– scientific journalism – based on the scientific method – to stimulate critical thinking and conscious analysis of content in students
– the use of digital tools for satellite data analysis

A real virtual treasure hunt, designed with Google Earth Pro: each point identified on the map hides a question related to the local ecosystem. Each puzzle corresponds to a pair of geographical coordinates to explore.
Students used the platform’s features to search for answers by exploring the territory.
An interactive educational activity to stimulate curiosity and the conscious use of digital tools, while discovering the diversity of wetlands around the world.

PHASE II

Wetland Hunting

PHASE II

Wetland Hunting

PHASE II

Wetland Hunting

with Francesco Passador – AI communication specialist

The educational phase dedicated to artificial intelligence saw the participation of Isonlab, a high-tech company based in the area, which gave an introductory lesson on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to students.

The meeting offered an accessible yet in-depth overview of how these technologies are now fundamental tools in various fields, including environmental design. The basic concepts of AI were explained, with a particular focus on how machine learning works when applied to image processing.

The aim is to stimulate critical thinking about the conscious use of technology and to demonstrate its potential as a creative tool for transforming the territory.

PHASE III

How machines began to think?

PHASE III

How machines began to think?

What if ecological restoration became a collective cultural act?

with Organic Audio: Camilla Isola, Emanuele Pertoldi, Andrea Peluso

Led by a group of young people supported by the Thiel social cooperative, accompanied by musicians and sound artists from the Organic Audio collective, which specializes in field recording techniques.

During the visit to the Foce dell’Isonzo Nature Reserve, participants recorded the sound environment using contact microphones to capture ground vibrations and underwater sounds, and directional microphones to capture the voices of birds and the rustling of distant vegetation.

This exploration allowed them to approach the wetland ecosystem in a sensory and immersive way, highlighting often overlooked dimensions of the natural experience.

PHASE IV

workshop acoustic exploration

PHASE IV

workshop acoustic exploration

PHASE IV

workshop acoustic exploration

PHASE IV

workshop acoustic exploration

with Francesco Scarel, Giacomo Bompan, Alessandro Fontana

Artificial intelligence becomes an ally in imagining and building natural spaces, giving young people an active role in caring for the landscape.

The students experimented with an innovative approach to landscape design, digitally drawing the features of the new wetland. The software, based on AI and semantic segmentation, allowed them to transform insights, observations, and imagination into actual design proposals, acting directly on satellite images of the new wetland and modeling possible new ecosystems in realtime.

A way of thinking about the landscape as a collective and dynamic narrative.