The final stage of the UNPLUGGED journey brought the exhibition to Bologna – and into the heart of the city.
In September 2025, UNPLUGGED was presented at Biblioteca Salaborsa, one of Bologna’s most visible and accessible civic spaces. Located in the city centre, the library attracts students, researchers, tourists and local citizens every day, allowing the exhibition to reach people who might never intentionally attend an event about circular electronics.
The launch event on 16 September transformed this public setting into a space combining institutional dialogue, expert knowledge and participatory experience.
Rather than relying solely on presentations, the event connected different perspectives on sustainable electronics and invited participants to experience the exhibition physically. Around 20 people took part in the launch, while the open location also attracted incidental visitors.
The Be Here Now game became an important part of the evening. Led by t2i, it invited participants to slow down, disconnect from the hyperstimulation of digital life and interact with each other and the physical elements of UNPLUGGED. Participants valued its ability to break down barriers and stimulate dialogue; one high school teacher was sufficiently inspired to express interest in using the game with her own students.
That connection soon became tangible.
After moving to the Emilia-Romagna Regional Headquarters, UNPLUGGED hosted 50 students from the I.I.S. Montessori–Da Vinci mechanical technical track. Through creative play and future thinking, they explored alternative scenarios, responsible technology use and links between innovation and their future professional practice.
Bologna therefore provided a fitting final chapter for the travelling exhibition. UNPLUGGED moved between a public cultural institution and a regional government setting, connecting citizens, experts, policymakers and young people.
The final stop demonstrated one of the project’s central lessons: spaces for circular learning do not need to belong to a single discipline. A library, a regional institution and a card game can all become places where technology, policy, creativity and everyday experience meet.