Sensitive Cartography to Analyze the Role of Public Art in the Relationship Between Inhabitants and the territory. Report and Prospects for Participatory Workshops in the Sicilian Town of Gibellina Nuova.

This article examines the use of qualitative and participatory methods, particularly sensitive mapping, to analyse the role of public art in the relationship between residents and their environment in the specific context of Gibellina Nuova, a Sicilian town rebuilt following an earthquake occurred in 1968. Gibellina Nuova, inspired by garden city principles and a dynamic promoting culture and art, houses more than seventy artworks created during the second half of the 20th century. These works, mainly architectural and sculptural, are scattered throughout the city, and some of them are poorly maintained or unfinished. The research aims to understand how residents experience the city, their sense of belonging, and the role of artworks in creating these feelings. To achieve this objective, the article presents the results of two series of participatory workshops based on sensitive mapping, concluding that these interventions highlight the role of certain artworks as landmarks and spatial references, which indicate that their value is less based on aesthetic qualities and more on their link with memory and everyday practices, related also to their location, scale, and proximity to the spaces that residents inhabits daily.