If the future is gloom, we must imagine a new one
There is still hope.
There is still hope if we take the time.
The time to reflect, to sit down together and understand each other, then try.
This is what I took home from the second edition of Magma Fest, the gathering of transdisciplinarity, hosted by Materahub on the 24th and 25th of November in Matera.
Yes, I call it gathering, you read it right, because more than a conference or a festival Magma is a safe space for debate and new collaborations. As the magma moves under our feet in constant need of stabilization, so do people who can find a new equilibrium by holding hands.
Sharing needs and competencies, this is what is all about.
And it happened, oh yes it happened.
Led by Nicola Zanola‘s visionary insights and Luca Baraldi‘s profound understanding of human science in the realm of AI, we embarked on a two-day exploration. The themes, seemingly colossal, were dismantled into manageable fragments of inquiry. Can a hotel transcend its traditional role and become a cultural epicentre? Can a tourist transform into a catalyst for local change? How can technology elevate the experience of Matera’s iconic Sassi?
In the crucible of collaboration, we didn’t just talk; together we wrote a “Vademecum for Cultural Hospitality” and a “Guideline for Tourists” to hand into the city of Matera, we also designed a videogame script along with the establishment of a new collaboration between a local host and a tourist guide.
Like the perfect second kiss, Magma Fest left us breathless with the unexpected beauty of renewed connection.
As we part ways, the echo of “see you next year” resonates with a promise. A promise that, even in the face of an uncertain future, there is hope when minds converge, hearts connect, and hands join in a shared purpose. Magma Fest, with its second edition, has proven that the future is not gloomy if we dare to imagine and create it together.
