From a Word-Formation to a Concept-Formation: Mnemosphere as a Connective Tool in Interdisciplinary Design

We are experiencing profound changes on a global scale and a differ- ent way of connecting with places, memory, and atmospheres. Adaptation is a necessary process. In this context, the need to update languages is real and urgent [1]. There is a growing demand for new terminologies to disseminate ongoing changes and communicate them to professionals and the public. Neology is one of the main ways a language, and therefore a culture renews itself through a different narrative approach. Design becomes the chosen field of experimentation and activation of new practices and theories that aim to bridge the gap between what we experience in the present reality and what, intangible, can only be captured by combining words. It is within this framework or reference that the present paper illustrates the Mnemosphere project, interpreted through the lens of a new wor(l)d formation research. The project is based on the interdisciplinary design of a terminological combination. Mnemosphere appears as a compound word that is still searching for a shared definition and a detailed characterisation but represents a potential theoretical and practical strategy that can be applied and developed in many ways. This contribution focuses on the transition from a word-formation to a concept- formation recognising Mnemosphere neologism input as an active research tool to stimulate reflections, foster experiences, trigger design practices, and research actions in different contexts. After describing the theoretical framework, the paper will outline the main research activities to blur semantic boundaries within the new word actively.