1. médialab Sciences Po
  2. Team
  3. Donato Ricci
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Donato Ricci

I explore public, experimental, and engaged approaches to problematising computational technologies and environmental change, blending design and social sciences.

Research Designer

Donato Ricci is the head of design research at the médialab, where he develops experimental methodologies, protocols, and artefacts to encourage public participation, collaboration, and engagement. 

During his PhD, he established the DensityDesign Lab research programmes, deepening his interest in using visual languages in the social sciences. He later joined the médialab to contribute to Bruno Latour’s AIME project, being in charge of all the design and participatory aspects of the project. With Latour, he co-organised the Reset Modernity! exhibition (ZKM Karlsruhe, Shanghai Himalayas Museum), took charge of the participatory and editorial activities for the Critical Zone exhibition (ZKM Karlsruhe), and collaborated on the pre-enactment of COP21 through Theatre of Negotiations—MAKE IT WORK! (Nanterre-Amandiers). 

His current research integrates inventive methods and practice-based approaches to tackle challenges posed by environmental transformations and computational technologies. Within the environmental domain, projects like the Naturpradi project examine the relationship between cities and nature, while the FUTURE-OBS project investigates the effects of human activities on coastal environments. In the realm of computational technologies, initiatives such as Cosy/Flat, Algoglitch, Styles of Moderation, Shaping AI, and Ecologies of LLMs Practices explore the social and political roles of algorithms, digital platforms, and computational tools in both private lives and public spaces. 

He teaches Pragmatics of Visual Languages in the Master’s programme for Communications, Media, and Creative Industries at Sciences Po and in Quantify in the Social Sciences Master’s programme at EHESS. He is an assistant professor of Representation and Knowledge at the University of Aveiro. He contributes to the Experimental Programme in Political Arts (SPEAP) by offering courses on Participatory Artistic Research. He is also engaged in the PhD programme at the Research Institute for Design, Media, and Culture, lecturing on Experimental Design Research. 

His work has been showcased in prestigious venues, conferences, and exhibitions, such as Medialab Prado and SIGGRAPH. His projects have also been featured in publications like Data Flow, Information Graphics, and Visual Complexity. He has received recognition such as Malofiej silver and bronze medals, twice winning the Filaf Prize, and inclusion in the ADI Design Index. 

In addition to articles and book chapters, he co-edited Puissances de l'enquête and Atlas du numérique.

Selected works

Activities

Productions