Leveraging Storytelling for Meaning-making

Building on the understanding of communication design as both a relational process and a tool for fostering active listening and generating new meanings, the ImagisLab research group at the Department of Design, Politecnico di Milano, continues to explore the transformative potential of storytelling in challenging hegemonic narratives. In this context, the San Vittore Situated Vocabulary project emerged as an adaptation of the “Nolo Situated Vocabulary” initiative previously developed at Off Campus Nolo. By conceptualizing the prison as a liminal space where social dramas unfold, this chapter examines the challenges that emerge in adapting the Situated Vocabulary to the specific conditions of San Vittore. Furthermore, it explores the role of storytelling and transformative narratives in meaning-making processes in marginal environments.