Contemporary cultural space · 21st century · Bari, Puglia

The World I Want – Isola Zero Uno, Bari

Isola Zero Uno (“Island Zero One”) is a contemporary cultural and educational project based in Bari, Puglia, operating under the concept title “The World I Want” (Il Mondo Che Voglio). The project brings together art, digital culture, civic education, and creative youth programming in an innovative format that blends exhibition space, workshop laboratory, and community gathering. Situated in the metropolitan area of Bari on the Adriatic coast, Isola Zero Uno reflects the growing investment of southern Italian cities in culture-led urban regeneration and the engagement of young citizens through creative practices.

Address: Bari metropolitan area, Puglia, Italy (41.1559° N, 16.7691° E)
Type: Contemporary cultural project and creative hub
Period: 21st century
Location: Bari, Metropolitan City of Bari, Puglia, Italy
Focus: Youth culture, civic arts education, digital creativity, community engagement
Current use: Active cultural programme; workshops, exhibitions, civic events
Coordinates: 41.1559° N, 16.7691° E
Notes: Part of the broader cultural regeneration movement in southern Italian cities supported by EU structural funds and national cultural development programmes

At a glance

Type: Contemporary cultural and civic education project
Period: 21st century
Location: Bari, Puglia, Italy
Focus: Art, digital culture, youth civic engagement
Format: Exhibition space, workshop laboratory, community hub

Overview

Isola Zero Uno operates at the intersection of cultural production and civic education, using art and creative practice as tools for community building in the Bari urban context. The “Il Mondo Che Voglio” framework invites participants — primarily young people — to imagine and articulate their vision of a better world through collaborative creative projects. This approach places Isola Zero Uno within the international tradition of participatory art and social design, adapted to the specific social and cultural needs of Puglia’s capital city. The project has drawn attention from Italian cultural foundations and European urban regeneration networks.

History

Bari’s cultural scene has expanded significantly since the early 2000s, driven by EU Structural Funds, national investment in Puglia as a film and cultural production region, and the success of anchor institutions such as the Teatro Petruzzelli and the Pinacoteca Provinciale. Isola Zero Uno emerged from this environment as an experiment in informal cultural infrastructure — a “zero-one island” between the analogue and the digital, between individual creativity and collective action. The project reflects the influence of Italian social cooperative models, where cultural work is understood as a form of civic service rather than purely commercial activity.

What you see

Visitors to Isola Zero Uno encounter a programme-driven space that changes character depending on the active project cycle. Exhibition periods may feature participatory installations, youth-produced artwork, or digital media presentations. Workshop phases involve participants in hands-on creative production — from mural design to digital storytelling and urban photography. The space is designed to be permeable, welcoming casual visitors alongside enrolled participants, and the boundary between audience and creator is intentionally blurred by the programming philosophy.

Cultural significance

Projects like Isola Zero Uno represent an important evolution in how Italian cities approach cultural heritage and civic identity — moving from purely custodial models toward active, participatory co-creation. The “Il Mondo Che Voglio” concept positions culture as a forward-looking civic practice, complementing Bari’s significant historical heritage with a contemporary creative dimension. Cultural Heritage Online has documented the project as a representative example of 21st-century cultural infrastructure in southern Italy.

Practical information

Programme schedules and access details are published through Isola Zero Uno’s social media channels and partner organisations. Many activities are free of charge or offered on a contribution basis. Check current listings before visiting, as the programme is event-driven and the space may not operate on fixed daily hours.

Getting there

Bari is connected by Trenitalia and Italo high-speed services from Rome (approximately 4 hours), Naples (approximately 3 hours), and Milan. The city is also served by Bari Karol Wojtyla Airport with connections across Europe. Within Bari, the city’s AMTAB bus network and a metro line connect the central station to the wider urban area. Specific directions to Isola Zero Uno events are communicated with each programme announcement.

Sources & resources

Historical events at this place (1)

2024 Eventi della Libera Associazione - Il mondo che voglio - Isola Zero Uno di Bari

The world I want&nbsp;is a free association that intends to contribute to the evolution of consciousness&nbsp;through the creation of new&nbsp;residential and social models&nbsp;based on&nbsp;solidarity&nbsp;and&nbsp;cooperation&nbsp;for the purpose of complete and extensive&nbsp;self-sufficiency.



The first urban settlement, consistent with the association&#39;s mission, is called&nbsp;Isola Zero Uno&nbsp;and is located in Bari.

It already has some small apartments, with vegetable gardens, shared gardens... and much, much more.



The current social model&nbsp;is mainly based on competitive relationships. It induces everyone to act exclusively to protect their own interests, raising barriers of selfishness that become cages of solitude.

Those who live in a condition of isolation tend, in the long term, to develop attitudes of distrust and distrust, from which arises an inevitable conflict that permeates all human relationships. Forced into a deteriorating quality of life in an anti-community society, we are now oriented towards social disintegration which causes desperation, misery, abandonment of the weakest, as well as pollution and a reckless use of environmental resources.

A group of 16 independent researchers, moved by the desire to improve this socio-economic system, created a new residential model which they called E.R.A. (Self-Sufficient Residential Ecosystem) which can be reproduced anywhere simply by embracing some new existential paradigms... It is essentially a new social and residential model based on the aggregation of people who, while maintaining their individual and housing autonomy, cooperate with each other in solidarity in order to become totally independent from the old social system.

The main objective is to guarantee to everyone, therefore to the community, the satisfaction, in an autonomous manner, first of all of the two primary needs (food and water) and that of some of the main secondary needs such as energy, transport, housing, training and information. The autonomy of individual participants is usually obtained in a reticular manner and this is why we have introduced the concept of non-resident inhabitant.

In fact, those who participate in the association can reside in a place other than the central reference nucleus. Over time, this solution also allows you to obtain independence from any suppliers external to the partnership and, more generally, from traditional, typically mercantile constraints.

The ecosystem is the model of &quot;nature&quot; where everything, kept in a dynamic balance, is indispensable to something else: a community of organisms that collaborate with each other in an exchange of perfectly coordinated vital interactions to produce everything that is necessary to allow life on Earth.

The organization of nature does not leave out any living being thanks to a self-regulation process that ensures the harmonious development and well-being of each of its inhabitants.



The E.R.A. is inspired by and imitates this natural model which sees in the creation of Isola Zero Uno the first prototype in the world conceived as an organism that can be replicated and exported anywhere.

It is located inside a late 19th century villa, in a pleasant and bright seaside location: Bari-Palese. It enjoys a privileged position both from a landscape point of view, being close to the sea with large green spaces, and as regards the connection with the city centre. All the main connections (buses, trains, metro, airport) are just a few steps away from our new residential model.

We want to create a &quot;Social Residence&quot; within which to find art, work, recreation, research, new economy, which becomes a hub for all those Cultural Creators who want to share their knowledge, experiences and good practices of a solidarity and cooperative nature. Isola Zero Uno marks an important transition, from a society in which the individual loses his reason for being, towards a new one in which the dignity and value of every living being finds itself at the center of human action.

At least another 4/6 traditional apartments are planned soon, aimed at the medium-long term hospitality of singles or couples, surrounded by large covered and uncovered common areas. A special conference/theater/cinema center with adjoining technical laboratory and gym is being set up.

Isola Zero Uno is also already equipped with an outdoor cinema/theatre capable of accommodating over 200 people. In the uncovered areas, depending on requests, we plan to house at least another 10 removable residential units such as campers, caravans and prefabricated buildings compatible with municipal regulations.

https://culturalheritageonline.com/places/the-world-i-want-isola-zero-uno-l5150/

#CulturalHeritage #CHO

The world I want – Isola Zero Uno