Hannover Installation

Recycling means putting things back into circulation, reusing waste materials that have lost their value and/or meaning. It is a practice that makes it possible to reduce waste, to generate less trash, to cut the costs of disposal, and to contain the costs required to produce new goods. In other words, recycling means creating new values and new meanings. Another cycle and another life. This is where the propulsive contribution of recycling lies. The recycling paradigm offsets the paradigms of new construction and demolition that have dominated modernity, but not in an ordinary way. What is important is to look at those experiences that, thanks to a recycle process, are capable to increase the culture of the city, beauty and urban quality, in relation to specific places and conditions. Architecture and the city have always recycled themselves also in ancient times. Examples like Split (Croatia), Teatro Marcello in Rome or the Cathedral of Syracuse are just a few of the most obvious manifestos of recycling.

It’s not a question of restoration is a resonance capacity of site to embed new programmes, new vitality, new players and flows of action.
The practice of reCITYIng improve these conditions on spatial and creative level: it’s an augmented contextual and adaptive practice, so that it can restore value to wasted urban fabrics, infrastructural assets, vacant areas and underused buildings, portions of a previous functional idea of the city which is no more. It brings along the concept of creative knowledge and urban transformation generated over time, focusing on specific site-condition. ReCITYing actions cannot be carried out by using stereotyped methods or traditional tools. Each place and each case provide the context for a different project. We might speak of different tactics implies new stories to be told and a new course, or maybe multiple stories which can be investigated and performed, involving narratives more than measure (a tool which is familiar to architects and designers). 

The Genoa Workshop (June 17-19, 2024) transformed the historic Albergo dei Poveri into a creative laboratory. Participants developed 19 place-based installations for the building’s courtyards, with prototypes evaluated by an international jury. The program included expert dialogues, guided tours, and collaborative performances, culminating in project selection for installation in 2025.

The Barcelona Workshop (October 9-11, 2024) at the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia focused on agricultural spaces at Parc Agrari del Baix Llobregat. Participants explored circular economy principles, transforming agricultural by-products into zero-waste architectural installations. The workshop featured hands-on activities including co-planting materials for future installations and community engagement through local sustainable food experiences.

The Hannover Workshop (December 4-6, 2024) at Leibniz University centered on music and urban design at Lindener Hafen. Participants developed acoustic-inspired installations reflecting the area’s unique soundscapes, emphasizing sustainability and material innovation through immersive exploration and creative mockup development.

The Maribor Workshop (March 26-28, 2025) at UGM Maribor Art Gallery addressed the reactivation of the historic Račjidvor Mansion through visual arts. Following an open call for interventions, the workshop combined expert lectures on revitalization projects with site visits and proposal presentations, fostering interdisciplinary approaches to heritage conservation and urban regeneration through creative collaboration.

ReC Creative Workshops Report

ReCITYing
Reactivating unused urban spaces through architecture
and arts

CREA-CULT-2023-COOP

2024-2028 cofunded by the European Union

Contact

recitying@gmail.com

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