Milan's annual Design Week (aka Salone Internazionale del Mobile di Milano) is currently underway and, as part of the event, Italian design studio Carlo Ratti Associatti has transformed a park in the city into what it calls the world's largest board game.
The project is named Walk the Talk and is located in Milan's Botanical Garden, which was originally established in 1774. Envisioned as a sort of "choose your own adventure" experience, the idea is that it invites visitors to walk around the garden on tiles that are arranged like a huge board game. Visitors then discover and reflect on everyday choices that can promote sustainable mobility, including transportation and car sharing.
"The 'Walk the Talk' path is structured as a metaphorical stroll around Milan, featuring the city's major landmarks," explained Carlo Ratti Associatti. "It is made up of over 400 wooden tiles and 32 different types of icons spread across 3,500 sq m [roughly 37,500 sq ft]. Each one represents either an obstacle or a solution to the game's theme of urban mobility: from traffic to public transportation and electric car sharing. Players – either alone or in tandem with others – navigate their way through the city by finding sustainable solutions to challenges such as overcrowded neighborhoods or lack of pedestrian areas. Their route depends on the choices they make, as they encounter various crossroads and intersections along the way."
The installation's tiles are coated in luminescent varnishes and films which store solar energy during the day and then glow at night, plus low-intensity lighting is installed to emphasize the glowing effect. Some of the tiles also produce sound effects, depending on the choices made.
Walk the Talk was developed for global energy company Eni as part of the Design Week's Interni Re-evolution exhibition, in collaboration with architect Italo Rota, game designer collective Blob Factory Gaming studio, and graphic designer Studio FM Milano. If you'd like to try it yourself, be sure to get your game on before April 26.
Source: Carlo Ratti Associatti
