**La Forma del Pane**
More than just food, bread is an object of connection — between generations, across cultures, and among communities. *La Forma del Pane*, a two-week course held at MADE Academy with students from Montana State University, explored bread as both a metaphor and a tangible form of relation, culminating in a sculptural installation made entirely of bread.
Throughout the course, students engaged in an immersive journey into traditional Sicilian bread-making and its cultural meanings. They visited the *Stazione Sperimentale di Granicoltura*, a regional center dedicated to preserving ancient Sicilian grain varieties, and the historic *Molino Crisafulli*, where those grains are transformed into flour and craft products. Under the guidance of baker and cook Anita Rubera, and with the support of renowned pizzaiolo Friederick Shmuck at PianoB, students learned the foundations of bread-making — from kneading to fermentation to baking — and experimented with different dough recipes.
From socio-anthropological reflections to microbiological processes and multi-sensory experiences, bread revealed itself as a complex and layered cultural artifact, mirroring the deep interconnection between land, people, and food. Its form is never random: it responds to context, function, and need — offering insight into cultural identity and adaptation.
The final installation — made of joints, intersections, and links — materializes the invisible bonds that connect us across time, place, and tradition. Bread, once again, becomes what it has always been: a symbol of home, care, and shared experience. A gateway to collaborative, transformative design.
Course led by
@federicaelmo
@anitarubera
@gesualdobush
@t_o_r_i_._ @montanastateuniversity
Special thanks to:
@molinocrisafulli
@lasanadispensa
@stazionedigranicolturasicilia
@piano__b_friedrichschmuck
Photos by:
@arkaburo
#breaddesign #design #summercourse #studyabroad #bread #ancientgrains #design #baking #madeprogram #sicily #tradition
