THE WATER FRACTAL: Sicily and beyond

The Water Fractal emerges from the educational path of Innovation Studio, a course within the Master’s Degree in Product Service System Design at the School of Design of Politecnico di Milano, focused on the theme Water Scarcity in Uncertain Times. The exhibition is hosted at Centrale dell’Acqua, the museum of MM Spa and part of the Rete Mondiale dei Musei dell’Acqua dell’UNESCO, and addresses the Sicilian water crisis as a complex system, interpretable through the logic of the fractal: small local interventions which, when repeated and adapted across different scales, can generate systemic effects.

The exhibition brings together the work of 97 students and presents 16 projects, each conceived as a synecdoche: a part that contains the whole. From water management in a condominium to the care of an olive grove, each proposal explores how micro-actions can activate resilience processes that are replicable in other contexts.

The projects are organized into three thematic groups:

• Revealing Traces, which make visible the signs of water scarcity—consumption, losses, quality, and the footprint of use;
• Reusable Flows, dedicated to the interception and reuse of flows otherwise destined for dispersion, such as greywater, sediments, biomass, and residues;
• Regeneration Pathways, addressing the rebirth of degraded territories and sites, spanning agricultural abandonment, marginal areas, and urban spaces in need of regeneration.

The design journey originated from listening to Sicily, its inhabitants, and its water landscapes. Through field research, stories from farmers, citizens, and experts, as well as practices of self-observation and bodystorming related to everyday water consumption, students developed projects aware of differences in scale and the complexity of the issue. No proposal is presented as a definitive solution: The Water Fractal instead invites reflection on the individual and collective relationship with water and on the interconnection between daily gestures and broader systems.

Event Program

• Opening: January 23, 2026, 6:30 pm
• Talk: January 24, 2026, 5:30 pm: MostraMed, cultural and artistic association (Palermo–Milan); Filippo Menga, author of the book Sete. Crisi idrica e capitalismo (Thirst. Water Crisis and Capitalism)
• Theatre Workshop: January 25, 2026, 3:00 pm: Improvisation workshop for all ages curated by the theatre group Polimi Teatro delle Biglie

Registration on Eventbrite is required.

Credits

Faculty:
Valentina Auricchio, Stefana Broadbent, Marta Corubolo, Mario Crippa, Fabio Di Liberto

Tutors:
Ahmed Adnan, Dorotea Anfossi

Curators:
Arianna Bosco, Lorenzo Cacioli, Anna Maria Dall’Aglio, Andrea D’Ignazi, Lara Erdir, Beatrice Monti, Greta Piccioli, Lucrezia Polini

Students:
Addario Mattia, Alderisio Francesca, Alcandre Massa Jean Paul, Alfansi Nabila Devonia, Alhasan Maya, Atelman Nicolas, Barbè Tiffenn, Bellavite Marco, Biton Ezel, Boldbaatar Bilguunzaya, Bonaiuti Elisa, Bosani Lara, Bosco Arianna, Brighel Marta, Burgess Alice, Bustos Josefina, Cacioli Lorenzo, Camacho Rivera Damaris Anareli, Candra Wuriandita Wahyumurti, Chen Xuanye, Chimoy Vega Katherine Mercedes, Ciavarella Beatrice, Croce Emanuele, D’Ancona Matteo, D’Ignazi Andrea, Dall’Aglio Anna Maria, Damnotti Camilla, Darcan Berkay, De Pasquale Riccardo, Delbue Marco Aurelio, Deng Jingwen, Dodaj Nicoletta, Erdir Lara, Faggionato Mathilda, Fasolyak Anna Dmitrievna, Fontana Giorgia, Garofalo Mattia, Gasparrini Elena, Gelyani Mehrnaz, Gerroni Emma, Giagnoni Myriam, Guleryuz Begum, Guarino Sara Eva, Hadjiyianni Despoina, Heidensleben Agnete, Impieri Matteo, Kang Juwon, Krossøy Camilla, Lilou Rekha Mouilleron-Becar, Lizotte Savie Mathis, Lo Yuting, LomkinaSofiia, Lyu Xinzhi, Maccioni Ludovica, Maggi Francesca, Martinez Aires Marina, Menduni Alessia, Moncayo Salazar Sofia, Moneta Alessandro, Monti Beatrice, Mortazavi Hootan, Muralidharan Madhuri, Netland Unander Helene, Pacini Isadora Vicenza, Pani Alessio, Parente Alessandro, Pasculli Sofia, Pavesi Filippo, Pecorari Francesco, Piccioli Greta, Polini Lucrezia, Pratama Aditya Rizki, Pratita Risca, Ren Xiaoxuan, Riemann Lars, Sabnis Shalvi Gurunath, Salazar Cuellar Juan David, Serra Giorgia Marissa, Seth Yatin, Singh Eichha, Su Yuan, Sun Chendong, Terraneo Matteo, Trapani Edoardo, TroncosoDelfin Nicole Andrea, Veerapaneni Puneetha, Volstad Sara Gravdal, Wang Zuyi, Zhai Hairu, Zhang Shiruo, Zhou Xiangrui, Zini Alice, Zorloni Andrea, Zou Rongcheng.