Born in Rimini and based in Rome, Silvia Susanna is an architect, designresearcher, filmmaker, artist, and activist whose speculative, multimediaprojects critique the dominance of Western assumptions about the builtenvironment. Through words, visuals, maps, spatial interventions, workshops,and films, her practice is dedicated to dismantling the foundations ofcapitalistic, extractive, unjust, and environmentally destructive spaceproduction. 

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"The biggest lesson I acquired from the fellowship program lies in the deep intellectual and emotional understanding with the other brilliant fellows through a myriad of diverse conversations. This confirms my awareness that design and architecture transcend the mere creation of physical entities; they are intrinsically intertwined with our identities and aspirations, reflecting not only who we are but also who we aspire to become." —Silvia Susanna

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Susanna holds a BA in Architecture and Construction Techniques and an MAin Urban and Architectural Design from the Prima Facoltà di Architettura inRome. She also earned a Diploma in Filmmaking from the New York Film Academy inNew York City and a Postmaster in Decolonizing Architecture from the RoyalInstitute of Art in Stockholm. She has recently received grants from theGoethe-Institut and Kulturstiftung des Freistaates Sachsen.

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Susanna’s most recent research asks, What does it mean to preserve BorgoRizza? The subject is a rural Sicilian village built in 1940 by the ItalianFascist regime as part of its broader efforts to colonize, homogenize, and“modernize” Sicily and newly established colonies in Libya, Eritrea, andEthiopia. Today Borgo Rizza suffers from disrepair and depopulation, while theproblematic history complicates revitalization efforts so desperately needed.Susanna’s work confronts the national discomfort towards its colonial pastwhile helping local communities construct a better future.