ZONA K was founded in Milan in 2011 as a space dedicated to the exchange between artistic and cultural disciplines. It hosts actions of theater, dance, cinema, music, visual art. Since 2013 it has been offering theater seasons for adults and children. Participatory, site-specific and  

public-space performances have become a distinctive feature of ZONA K. Socio-political contents as well. In the last 10 years ZONA K has hosted and co-produced some of the most important European artistic experts in these practices. Since 2020 it is part of the large-scale

cooperation project In-Situ, the European platform for artistic creation in public space. All its work in based on strong and lasting collaborative networks on glocal basis.

Milan is one of the most cemented cities in Italy and Europe (58% of the entire municipal area), with over 125 hectares of land consumed in the last seven years. Before the pandemic, architect Stefano Boeri created Bosco Verticale, the green skyscraper that overlooks the new park Biblioteca degli Alberi, following the idea of a city-garden/forest. For some years now, the tendency of the inhabitants to move out of their centers has been noticed in the Italian cities, accelerating in recent months due to the health emergency. With the intensive spread of smart-working, large multinationals and public administrations are questioning the still effective need to build skyscrapers and offices for thousands of employees.
 

There are a plurality of subjects that participate in the development of greenery directly and indirectly, through creative resources, knowledge and care skills. For example the participation of citizens in the management of green areas, with the strategic plan of the rural district of Milan, urban gardens, the direct management of associations and local agricultural enterprises. The direct participation in the care of the green of multiple subjects has the purpose of establishing an active citizenship that feels the territory is its own. The potential of participatory care for greenery is recognized for the integration and improvement of the quality of life.

Milan is permeated by a large system of parks crossed by the waters of the canals, its rivers, the main branches of the minor water network restored and safe. The agricultural and green areas of the urban belt constitute bands of connection between the city and the countryside. This is why we plan to work on these connection bands, on the intermediate points between city and countryside, border places that for could allow art to fit in and create a
bond, a connection, a dialogue.