Seed Festival 2026
Seed.
Design Actions for the future.
Perugia
14–17 October 2026
From October 14 to 17, Seed. Design Actions for the Future returns with an edition dedicated to “Humanity”, exploring the relationship between artificial intelligence, architecture, space, the environment, and new ways of living through a multidisciplinary program featuring leading international figures from architecture, design, science, and culture.
What idea of humanity will shape the cities, homes, and territories of the future? How will the spaces we inhabit change in the age of artificial intelligence, robotics, the climate crisis, and the new space race?
These are some of the questions at the heart of Seed. Design Actions for the Future, which will return to Perugia from October 14 to 17, 2026, in the monumental setting of San Francesco al Prato, with an edition entirely dedicated to the theme of Humanity.
More than an architecture and design festival, Seed is establishing itself as an interdisciplinary platform where design becomes a tool for interpreting the major transformations of our time. In a context shaped by the expansion of digital technologies, artificial intelligence, new geopolitical balances, and the ecological transition, the 2026 edition invites us to reflect on the very meaning of being human and on the relationships that connect us with others, the environment, and technology.
Theme
The program unfolds through four interconnected lines of research that highlight the central role of design culture in addressing contemporary challenges.
The first, Being Human, explores the increasingly blurred boundary between humans and machines. It examines issues such as the enhancement of physical and cognitive abilities, body-machine interfaces, embodied artificial intelligence, social robotics, and the ethical implications arising from the growing integration of biological and digital dimensions.
With Inhabiting the Planet, Seed turns its attention to the transformation of habitable spaces, from homes to cities and the global territory. Topics include new models of coexistence between humans, nature, and artificial intelligences, strategies for adapting to climate change, care-centered architecture, digital cultural heritage, and new forms of social cohesion.
The third line of research, Inhabiting Beyond, extends the reflection beyond Earth, exploring the role of design in developing extraterrestrial habitats, space infrastructures, and systems capable of enabling life in extreme conditions. From future lunar and Martian bases to objects designed to enhance astronauts’ wellbeing, this section investigates a field where architecture, engineering, and science converge to imagine new ways of inhabiting space.
Completing this journey is New Power Dynamics, a line of research dedicated to the invisible systems redefining the relationships between technology, society, and space. In an era when algorithms, data, neuroscience, and artificial intelligence increasingly influence individual and collective behavior, power is progressively shifting from territory to the realm of information. Seed reflects on the design and ethical implications of this transformation, addressing issues such as data sovereignty, infocracy, predictive urbanism, surveillance capitalism, algorithmic ethics, and the essential role of human beings in decision-making processes. This research highlights how architects and designers must now confront not only physical spaces, but also the digital infrastructures that regulate the functioning of contemporary cities and democracies.
Invited Guests
The program will bring together some of the most influential voices in architecture, design, philosophy, geopolitics, and scientific research.
Among the confirmed guests are architect Anupama Kundoo, internationally renowned for her research into sustainable architecture, materials, and craftsmanship; Belinda Tato, associate professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Design and co-founder of Ecosistema Urbano; Danish architect Søren Pihlmann, one of the most prominent emerging figures in European architecture thanks to his radical approach to material reuse; designer and researcher Annalisa Dominoni, an international reference in Design for Outer Space; sociologist Mauro Magatti; geopolitical analyst Alessandro Aresu; journalist Luca De Biase; and philosopher of science Luisa Damiano, one of the leading specialists in social robotics.
Alongside lectures and round tables, Seed will continue to explore the dialogue between design, art, and performance. Among the most anticipated events are Build Un-build, Raffaele Salvoldi’s new participatory installation, developed together with Listone Giordano and centered on the collective act of building and deconstructing; Earthphonia, Max Casacci’s sound project created exclusively from sounds of nature; and The Woman of the Atomic Bomb, Gabriella Greison’s theatrical performance dedicated to physicist Leona Woods and the ethical dilemmas of scientific research.
Cultural heritage will also play a central role through Seed Arte, a section integrated into the celebrations marking the 800th anniversary of the death of Saint Francis of Assisi. Among its key initiatives is the presentation of the digital twin of the Church of San Francesco al Prato, developed by the Guglielmo Giordano Foundation as a tool for research, conservation, and accessibility, capable of virtually reconstructing lost masterpieces and opening new perspectives for the preservation and enhancement of cultural heritage through digital technologies.
