Maria Eugenia Frizzele

We will be at the Speakers corner @labiennale this coming 17th November - 11AM-1PM We will present the year-long process of collective imagination on the future of the former Sant’Anna Church and monastery in the context of the sestiere of Castello, Venice. Through public assemblies and participatory working groups, local residents contributed to drafting a regeneration proposal for the site as an inclusive, hybrid, para-institutional space for cultural and democratic creation. The project serves as both a symbolic statement and a tool for the self-representation of resident communities, increasingly displaced by overtourism. Having conducted workshops in the section of the church that formerly served as a neighborhood infirmary, we conceptualized the project as a “clinic” for democracy—a space where political participation is tested, practiced, and treated as a patient in distress. Through interdisciplinary pollination and collective effort, the project seeks to create a discursive spatiality that interweaves social, cultural, and environmental relations. The outcomes will be discussed by the project team, representatives of the Agenzia del Demanio, and scholars. Together with @mariaaeff and @matteobinci @osservatoriosantanna we would love to have you there! SAVE THE DATE! 📸 by @syloes_

#Talk & #RoundTableDiscussion Agonistic Assemblies. Crossbenching as a model towards para-instituting @markusmiessen 🌿 04/11/2025, 17.30 Se intendiamo l’assemblea come una forma di incontro spaziale, e il falò come lo spazio preistorico dell’assemblea, quale potrebbe esserne l’equivalente contemporaneo? Il talk esplora il lavoro di Markus Miessen su Cultures of Assembly, sottolineando come formati spaziali di piccola scala e decentralizzati possano diventare strumenti per la produzione di saperi locali, la costruzione di comunità e processi decisionali politici radicati nei contesti, in particolare nell’ambito della transizione socio-ecologica. Maria Eugenia Frizzele (@mariaaeff ), attuale fellow di #ScuolaPiccolaZattere, insieme a Noemi Biasetton (@noemi.biasetton ) condurrà una conversazione aperta con lə partecipanti, partendo dal progetto di ricerca The Esch Clinics, sviluppato da Markus Miessen in collaborazione con César Reyes. — If we understand assembly as a form of spatial gathering, and the bonfire as the prehistoric space of assembly, what constitutes its contemporary equivalent? The talk presents Markus Miessen’s research on Cultures of Assembly, highlighting how small-scale, decentralized spatial formats can serve as tools for local knowledge production, community building, and context-rooted political decision-making, especially within socio-ecological transitions. Maria Eugenia Frizzele, current fellow at Scuola Piccola, together with Noemi Biasetton, will lead an open conversation with the participants, based on the research project The Esch Clinics, developed by Markus Miessen in collaboration with César Reyes.

On Friday, May 9th, we gathered in the courtyard of the Sant’Anna infirmary for a public workshop dedicated to the future and regeneration of the complex. The meeting was an important opportunity for dialogue and the exchange of ideas and experiences, helping to shape our work in participatory planning and imagine new futures for public spaces awaiting recovery. The event welcomed numerous citizens, researchers, and institutions, including the Veneto Regional Directorate of the State Property Agency, Ingrid Schroder (@aaschool ), Christopher Pierce (@aavisiting_school ), Sandra Denicke-Polcher (@rca.architecture ), Andrea Perini (@terzo_paesaggio ), Francesco Apuzzo (@raumlaborberlin ), Ezio Micelli (@iuav_venezia ), with the support and valuable contributions of Alex Furunes (Special Mention at the Golden Lion, @labiennale 2021), Lidia Gasperoni (@ucl ), Liza Fior (@mufarchitectureart ), Aliza Wong (@amacademyrome ), Claire Potter (@thisclairepotter ), Gabriele Leo (@post.disaster.rooftops ), Izabela Moren (@studio_rizoma_ ), Studiolatte (@studio.latte.studio ), Laboratorio Quattrozero (@laboratorio.quattrozero ), TA.R.I. Architects (@tariarchitects ), Ap Practice (@ap_practice ) and many other friends and colleagues. Among the many topics discussed were new strategies for civic empowerment, innovative models of governance for shared spaces, potential architectural transformations, and long-term financial and economic sustainability scenarios. The materials gathered will be part of the public presentation of the six-month journey developed at the Osservatorio. We’re deeply grateful to everyone who joined us—your presence and contributions made this moment truly special. Stay with us as we continue this shared journey and move forward together in the next phases of the project! A special recognition and heartfelt thanks to the work carried out by @weareherevenice on the flowerbeds of Sant’Anna, which are now thriving thanks to the collective care project for the city’s green spaces, launched in 2021 in collaboration with local residents (@aiuole_santanna ).

OSA – Osservatorio Sant’Anna è un progetto di ricerca e azione indipendente volto a facilitare pratiche di sperimentazione collettiva e progettazione urbana partecipata per gli edifici dismessi del complesso di Sant’Anna (Ve). Nei prossimi mesi immagineremo – attraverso assemblee pubbliche, tavoli di lavoro collettivi e pratiche culturali – nuovi scenari e progettualità condivise insieme alle comunità residenti. OSA è animato da Matteo Binci e Maria Eugenia Frizzele, in collaborazione con il duo di architett* Sabrina Morreale e Lorenzo Perri (Lemonot) e nasce con l’obiettivo di lanciare un segnale concreto alla città: dimostrare che Venezia può ancora essere pensata a partire dai bisogni di chi la abita, e che le politiche urbane possono tornare a mettere al centro la cura, la prossimità e la costruzione condivisa di futuri. OSA ha ottenuto in concessione temporanea dall’Agenzia del Demanio, per una durata di sei mesi, il piano terra dell’ex ospedale militare annesso alla Chiesa di Sant’Anna. La concessione è stipulata attraverso una collaborazione operativa con l’associazione culturale Marche Arte Viva. credits grafica Sebastiano Campoccia

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