LA PUNT-CHAMUES
ETHNO RESEARCH
& CONTENT DEVELOPMENT
Involvement:
La Punt-Chamues, a picturesque village nestled in the Engadin Valley, became the focal point for the [Y]our 2040 gathering's ethnographic research and content development. The project aimed to create authentic and meaningful content by delving into the lives and surroundings of the local community. This immersive research provided the foundation for a series of visionary narratives and illustrative depictions of potential futures.
To develop the content for [Y]our 2040, an ethnographic field trip to La Punt was essential. The team employed the ‘Day In the Life’ methodology, a powerful storytelling technique that captures a snapshot of a typical day, detailing interactions and emotions. This method, backed by data, science, and research, encourages thinking about "what could be" and addressing potential challenges.
The fieldwork involved observation techniques, interviews with local residents, climate scientists, and historians, as well as mapping out routines and understanding needs and emotions. This comprehensive approach ensured a deep immersion into the daily experiences of the characters, capturing the essence of their typical state of being.
Illustration Credit: Nazaré Sarabúa, [Y]our 2040
The project featured 18 characters grouped into human, nature, and built environment categories. These characters provided diverse perspectives rooted in La Punt, helping to explore and understand the complex interwoven experiences and environments of the town.
Human Characters: Representing the heart of the La Punt community, these characters illustrated daily life, aspirations, and challenges in a rapidly evolving world. Their journeys inspired empathy and action.
Nature Characters: These personas embodied the natural ecosystems of La Punt. Their experiences offered insights into fostering harmonious coexistence and guardianship of the environment.
Built Environment Characters: These characters represented the physical structures and places of La Punt, revealing the interplay between architecture, human interactions, and the environment.
The culmination of the research and content development was the fictional "La Punt Post," a newspaper from 21 June 2040. This artefact delivered plausible and positive national and local news, with headlines such as "Insect Farming Takes Flight in La Punt" and "EU Grants Legal Status to Nature." The articles, crafted through a weak signals exercise, identified possible, plausible futures based on future climate scenarios.
Photo Credit: Dominik Täuber, [Y]our 2040
Photo Credit: Dominik Täuber, [Y]our 2040
The project was a collaborative effort, with significant contributions from the students of the Envisioning Tomorrow ECA project at the Lyceum Alpinum Zuoz. Each student wrote an article and created a generative AI illustration, adding depth and variety to the newspaper. Partners of [Y]our 2040 also contributed imaginary adverts for future services and products, enhancing the immersive glimpse into the future.
It is a result of the power of immersive, empathetic research combined with visionary storytelling, paired with amazing human beings. By understanding and depicting the intricate relationships between humans, nature, and built environments, we were able to learn from locals and inspire coherent action and local transformations towards a better tomorrow.