About

We produce participatory design projects that engage people in reconfiguring the politics of social and environmental issues. We combine design research methods with radical pedagogy, feral approaches to community economies and lots of DIY making and organising.

We create a diversity of outputs, including spaces for making, learning and exchanging; commoning and community-building processes; events such as workshops and conferences. We also enjoy feminist theory, writing, (self)publishing research outputs, working with our circular saw, printing with our Risograph and good graphic design.

Brave New Alps started out in 2005 as a collaboration between Bianca Elzenbaumer and Fabio Franz. In 2012, we registered as a cultural association in Italy in an attempt to explore what legal and organisational framework can support an eco-social design practice that wants to operate beyond the market, that is, outside the conventional client-designer framework. To do so, we also rely on practice-based research positions, currently working remotely with the Center for Other Worlds, Lusófona University, Lisbon.

Currently the association is formed by: Martina Dandolo – president, Fabio Franz – vice-president, Paolo Plotegher – secretary,  Bianca Elzenbaumer, Giovanna Zanghellini, Giampiero Benvenuti, Carlo Bettinelli, Maria Pasqualini, Panos Tsiamyrtzis Bakas.

Designers and researchers who are (or were) part of the team of Brave New Alps are: Caterina Giuliani, Gaja Mežnaric Osole, Raphael Volkmer, Riccardo Govoni, Beatrice Borso, Vittorio Veronesi, Eva Popovic, Irene Bonvicini, Linda Tonolli, FloraMammana, Julia Wagner, Kim Kaborda, Paulina Mimberg.

RESEARCH NETWORKS BRAVE NEW ALPS IS PART OF
• La Foresta – accademia di comunità (Vallagarina, Italy)
• Feral Business Research Network (international)
• Community Economies Institute (international)
• Eco-Nomadic School (pan-European network)x