Università degli Studi di Firenze
Aula 401 – Santa Teresa, Via della Mattoniaia 14, Firenze

Almost a hundred students from four prestigious international design schools – Politecnico di Milano, Chelsea College of Arts – University of the Arts London, IED Barcelona (I+ED Lab) and HEAD of Geneva – worked together to develop communication projects aimed at raising awareness of the impact of smoking habits on the environment, in order to change smokers’ behaviour and reduce the waste generated by cigarettes in urban areas.

Many innovative communication campaigns were submitted: the first prize was awarded to #epicmoment, a project developed by a group of students from the Politecnico di Milano: Mattia Geraci, Matteo Palmieri, Francesco Paleari and Gaia Satta. The project #epicmoment was unanimously chosen ” for the ability to transform a duty (looking for a suitable container in which to throw away the cigarette end) in a happy, shared “epic moment”. With the possibility of a web version, this is a good opportunity to circulate a viral, virtuous and engaging on-line message.”

The second place went to This is not a small problem, by Joana Pereira and Anibal Tapias, IED Barcelona (I+ED Lab), for “for the clear and direct communicative power of the message”. The third prize was awarded to Listen to your butt by Billy Osborne of Chelsea College of Arts – University of the Arts London, for “the originality of a poetic and emotional message”.

Special mentions to: I was a cigarette butt by Alejandra Chinolla, Amparo Cativiela, Belén Páliz and Claudia Guevara (IED Barcelona) and 2-10 by Matt Ashmore (Chelsea College of Arts London).

The winners, together with the other finalist projects, were on display to the public at Triennale di Milano – Triennale Lab space from April 8 to 13, 2014 in an area which has been designed by Vicente Garcia Jimenez & Cinzia Cumini studio.

Launched in 2011, the “JTI Clean City Lab” fosters dialogue around the model of a “city of the future”, an open city respectful of the different choices made by different people. The first edition focused on the portable ashtray of the future, and the second on ashtrays for external use. The third one last year was devoted to outdoor spaces for smokers.

Exhibition Video

Paolo Ferrarini is a senior researcher at Future Concept lab, where his work is focused on emerging aesthetics and digital behaviours. He teaches regularly at the Università di Bologna and Istituto Marangoni.

Federico Chiara lives in Milan, and is culture and travel editor of Vogue Italia and coordinator of Vogue Talents. His journalistic collaborations include The New York Times, Herald Tribune, Dutch, Vanity Fair and L’Uomo Vogue.

Laura Marino is head of the graphics office of Vogue Italia where she is responsible for special projects such as catalogs, advertising campaigns, invitations, merchandising and for the graphic design of exhibitions and special events. In 2013, she was entrusted with the coordination and design of interactive graphics for Vogue Italia’s iPad version.