Participatory Storytelling as a Relational Design Practice: The Case of the San Vittore Prison

This paper explores how participatory storytelling functions as a relational design practice within the constraints of a total institution, specifically in the context of San Vittore prison in Milan, Italy. Drawing on two years of fieldwork, we analyze the power dynamics, relational infrastructures, and narrative agency that emerge through Storylab, a participatory storytelling workshop conducted inside the prison. As the workshop cultivates storytelling within a complex relational landscape, we investigate how narratives shape this relational landscape and its inherent power dynamics. We examine the ethical challenges of navigating power asymmetries in total institutions and argue for design research that is situated, responsive, and non-extractive. Our research investigates the potential of participatory storytelling to create lasting narrative infrastructure aimed at community building and developing counter-narratives within constrained institutional settings.