Melbourne is preparing to host an event of international magnitude; the Tools for After Festival is an event that combines Italian creativity and innovative solutions to meet the challenges of the Anthropocene era.

Festival curator Maurizio Corrado, an architect specialising in contemporary design and natural architecture, shared with us the philosophy behind this major initiative.

Tools for After is the result of a project that was chosen after a call for proposals from the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs before being presented by the Melbourne Cultural Institute.

The festival aims to analyse and address the challenges posed by the Anthropocene, a term used by the scientific community to describe the change in the environment as a result of humanity’s impact on the planet.

At a time when global challenges often seem insurmountable, the Tools for After Festival seeks to offer a different perspective. It’s not just about recognising the problems of today (foremost among them, climate change), but about providing concrete solutions, tools through creativity, architecture and science.

The approach of Maurizio Corrado and the other creators of the festival demonstrate that imagination and innovation can be the most powerful tools to address the challenges of our time.

“Beyond the dystopian and alarmist scenarios that the discourse of climate change may evoke, it’s important to start considering what we are facing as an opportunity to put imagination to work, the only real tool that has saved humanity in the last 300,000 years,” said Maurizio Corrado.

The festival appeals to Italian creativity to answer questions that affect the entire planet, offering new perspectives and innovative solutions, in areas in which Italy is particularly recognised. These areas are design, architecture, science, cinema, food, literature and landscaping.

The architect and curator of the event explained that he has divided the macro-area of design into four subsections. The first is Lyfe, “a new terminology of life given by two scientists who have realised that our definition is no longer sufficient to capture even those forms that, perhaps, are relatively inert materials but behave as if they were alive”.

This is followed by Paleo, a section that recalls the use of primary materials and objects that evoke a Paleolithic-type imagery.

Tools encapsulates new materials and technologies and Mapsì is the area that explores the multiple paths design may take over time.

Referring to the architecture section, Corrado explained that the festival aims not only to showcase the work of some talented architects, but also to inspire the use of new plant materials - such as bamboo, common reed, straw and raw earth - and biomaterials in the design of urban, suburban and extraterrestrial spaces, such as villages on Mars and the Moon.

There is also a literary initiative carried out in collaboration with Co.As.It. of Melbourne and eight Italian authors, who together wrote one story starting from a scientific fact, connecting imagination and science.

This joint work resulted in a book which will be available in both Italian and English, creating yet another bridge between Italy and Australia, this time through literature.

From here, the vision of the festival’s creators to make Tools for After much more than just a cultural event emerges. It is an invitation to imagine a sustainable and innovative future, and to turn what’s imagined into practice.

“The idea is to offer a concrete approach to the problems of today, to stop with alarmism and start rolling up our sleeves.”

The festival will start September 14.