The second half of the project ROOTED RITUALS proposed urban explorations across landscapes and communities through a performative workshop format using action-cards. The first stage, Noi Siamo Natura, took place in the Orti di Via Padova, where participants explored body and nature within urban space, interacting with the vegetal landscape and experimenting with adaptive movements. The silent, itinerant path encouraged mindful observation, environmental connection, and reflection on the relationship between city and nature.

Participants immersed themselves in the landscape of the Orti di Via Padova, alternating moments of writing, drawing, and performative actions. During CHANGE YOUR VIEW, they chose specific points and adjusted their bodies to observe often invisible details. In COLLABORATE WITH OTHER SPECIES, they observed worms, bees, or butterflies and wrote phrases like “If I were a…, I would say…”, which were then displayed as the voices of their companion species. In BLEND WITH THE ENVIRONMENT, bodies adapted to mimic the shapes of plants and flowers. During TAKING CARE OF SPACES, participants drew without looking at the paper and left their drawings near the plants as promises of care. With LEAVE SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL BEHIND, small gifts for nature were placed in the explored spaces. The final action NATURE FOR YOU gathered everyone in a circle for a collective greeting to nature, celebrating the deep connection between body, environment, and community, and highlighting how shared attention can nurture new bonds with the urban ecosystem.

About ROOTED RITUALS

ROOTED RITUALS is a site-specific public art initiative that weaves together participatory performances and food design workshops, fostering meaningful and embodied connections between people and food. The project emerged as one of the winners of the European call Feed Your Future – Engaging Youth for Creative Climate Action, promoted by Rede DLBC Lisboa and coordinated by the Municipality of Milan within the Creative Europe framework. It was realized through the collaboration of JOYY! Food Design, Laboratorio Silenzio, Social Design Lab, and APICAIA – Association for Italy-Asia Cultural and Artistic Exchange. Activities took place in selected neighborhoods of Milan, areas where access to food knowledge and cultural participation is often limited, yet ripe for new narratives and shared spaces.