Sun, Dec 15, 2024 11:34
Dec 15, 2024
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1 min read
A mountain town in the Italian Alps, surrounded by steep mountains that obscure sunlight, erected a large mirror in 2006 to track the sun’s trajectory and bounce sunlight into the town square. The mayor, in an interview quoted in this Vice article, explained the project’s humanistic aims superseded its scientific foundation:
Although created to solve a very practical problem, the project has an almost poetic side to it too. “The idea behind the project doesn’t have a scientific basis, but a human one,” former mayor Midali said in a 2008 interview. “It comes from a desire to let people socialise in winter when the town shuts down due to the cold and the dark.”
You can also watch a video (in Italian) of the mirror’s inauguration here.
Authors
Wouter Van Rossem is a researcher on the intersection between social science and computer science. He previously worked on the European Research Council (ERC) funded project, Processing Citizenship, where he investigated how data infrastructures for population processing co-produce citizens, Europe, and territory. He completed his PhD at the University of Twente in the Netherlands and is still working on publications stemming from these impactful projects. In addition to his academic pursuits as a PhD at the University of Twente in the Netherlands, he brings a diverse background as a software engineer, having worked in various companies and at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre in Italy. His diverse background, spanning both theoretical and hands-on knowledge, reflects his keen interest in exploring the intricate interconnections between technology and society.