At the Milan Design Week, an immersive work by Marco Nereo Rotelli focuses on environmental safety and the active role of citizens, between art, technology and artificial intelligence.
In contemporary debate, the concept of environmental safety has progressively broadened its meaning to include not only the protection of ecosystems but also the ability of societies to preserve the resources on which they depend economic development, quality of life and stability of the territories. It is on this frontier that Veolia’s participation in the Milan Design Week 2026 takes place, with the project “Infinity”an immersive and interactive installation hosted from April 19th to 30th in Courtyard of the Pharmacy of the State University of Milanwithin the exhibition-event INTERNI Materiae. For the first time at the Fuorisalone, Veolia chooses an unconventional language to open a direct dialogue with citizens: that of participatory art. The work, signed by Marco Nereo Rotelli, was born as an open space, in which reflection on environmental sustainability it is built through a collective process. Not an installation to be passively observed, but a cultural device that solicits the active involvement of the public. In this context, art becomes a mediation tool between complex issues such as energy, climate and resource management, and people’s daily perception. The objective is clear: to make issues often perceived as abstract accessible, transforming them into shared and concrete experience.
“Infinity”: artificial intelligence and collective creativity
The heart of the project is a mix of words, light and images which takes shape thanks to the interaction between visitors and technology. “Infinity” is in fact powered by a system generative artificial intelligencecapable of interpreting the public’s contributions in real time, such as thoughts, suggestions, reflections, and transforming them into visual and textual content projected into the space of the installation. The result is a constantly evolving composition, a dynamic story that reflects the plurality of views and sensitivities involved. In this dimension, the work surpasses the traditional centrality of the artist to open up to a shared construction of meaning, consistently with Rotelli’s vision. The project is also developed through a multidisciplinary collaboration involving figures from different fields: from the scientist and Nobel Prize winner Riccardo Valentini to the physicist Valerio Coppola, from the poet Valerio Magrelli to the composer Alessio Bertallot, up to the digital creative Luca Andrea Marazzini. A dialogue between skills that reflects the complexity of contemporary environmental challenges. Artificial intelligence is not presented as a replacement element, but as an enabling tool, capable of amplifying participation. “We believe that environmental safety is not just an industrial or technological challenge, but also a central theme that requires collective reflection and commitment. Initiatives like this allow us to bring people closer to sustainability issues, showing how infrastructure, innovation and daily life are deeply connected. Veolia in Italy leads the sustainable transition of territories and businesses through the GreenUp Strategic Plan, with ambitious objectives of decarbonisation, reduction of pollution and protection of resources, in a path shared with citizens, associations and institutions, because we are convinced that only through synergies, dialogue and awareness we can build a more sustainable and accessible future for all”, declares Emanuela Trentin, CEO of Veolia in Italy.“Infinity” represents more than an artistic installation: it is a laboratory of active citizenship, an invitation to reflect on the link between infrastructure, environment and daily life. In an era where environmental challenges increasingly translate into global security issues, initiatives like this show how dialogue between art, technology and society can help build a more sustainable future. Not as an abstract vision, but as a shared process, in which every voice can find space.
