Slow Food reformats its famed bi-annual gathering with a hybrid event to insure multi-cultural representation and cross generational dialog
More than 3000 farmers, cooks and food activists from 150 countries will gather in Parco Dora, Turin, Italy from September 22-26, 2022 at Terra Madre Salone del Gusto, the largest international event dedicated to good, clean, and fair food. This year’s edition includes a special digital feature allowing those unable to attend physically to participate virtually fully.
The event returns indeed to the streets of Turin, but given the ongoing difficulties around the world related to transport, health restrictions, and the economic and social situation, it will not be possible for representatives of some Slow Food communities to make the journey to Turin.
The 2020-2021 edition of Terra Madre taught us that there are technological tools that can connect people far and wide. We will continue to offer digital experiences to bridge the gaps and continue to connect no matter the distances between us.
In collaboration with Shared Studios, Parco Dora will be home to a repurposed shipping container equipped with a special technology to support the Slow Food network delegates as well as many active participants and curious audiences to connect through innovative channels of digital interaction without losing the depth and quality of physical human presence.
From portal to portal, and with the power to connect worldwide, Shared Studios’s digital values align with Terra Madre core purpose to facilitate time and space for conversations among individuals and international communities working together on building consensus and sharing regenerative solutions addressing one of the world’s most pressing environmental issue: food security.
During the day, visitors will virtually walk-through Earth Markets in Spain, Tanzania and Uganda, meet bakers from all over the world and grow gardens at all latitudes. The program also includes conferences on the protein transition, on how social media can help restoring civil societies and last but not least, some portal to portal special dinners!
As Slow Food Board member Richard McCarthy puts it: “We have all suffered in recent years the sense of deprivation that comes from not being able to interact and feel close to each other physically, emotionally and through direct contact. Terra Madre is the moment, for the Slow Food network, when the energy, involvement, emotion and sense of belonging to a global community is created; this biennial event gives our communities around the world the strength to continue the fight so that everyone can have access to good, clean and fair food. This Portal,” McCarthy continues, “is an example of how a global, grassroots movement like Slow Food doesn’t hesitate to use the most advanced technology if it is aimed at democratic engagement, capacity building and cultural growth of people.”
Amar Bakshi, CEO at Shared Studios: “Shared Studios is honored and thrilled to partner with Slow Food in advancing the global conversation on food security at Terra Madre. Shared Studios shares the mission of encouraging people and communities to engage each other deeply in conversation across distance and difference and to recognize our global interdependence and obligation to act sustainably for the planet. We are excited to connect communities worldwide to Terra Madre so they can converse and dine together as if in the same room, all without travel.”
Over the years, Shared Studios has built a global network of immersive Portals across 25 countries in educational institutions, museums, parks, and corporations connecting over 500,000 people. This year’s edition of Terra Madre is excited to activate the Portal in the context of a new digital initiative that cares to demonstrate the relevance and impact of regenerative food systems as part of a global conversation about regenerative action involving youthful cultures advocating for environmental justice.
“The Slow Food ideals are universal and timeless. Yet the organization’s identity is evolving. Today, it reflects many positive symbols of significant change and tangible progress, the kind that gives us real hope at a time when it’s most needed” says Martin Marquet, who serves as a special advisor to Slow Food. “It’s partly why I joined the movement and felt deeply compelled to support Terra Madre’s #RegenerAction campaign. As a film producer, I’m honored to work with Slow Food by activating innovative tools of digital communication such as the Portal as a way to radiate positive environmental narratives. Because just like cinema and storytelling, digital narratives also have the power to bring us together and to move us back into the right course of action.”