L’oggetto che non doveva servire. Cronaca di una transizione

This article takes the form of a fictional interview exploring the relationship between technology, ecological crisis, and the possibility of alternative ways of inhabiting the world. At its centre is Nell, an imaginary object combining living mycelium with minimal electronic components. Initially conceived as an AI-powered companion inspired by ecological and degrowth thinking, Nell gradually evolves into a device that neither communicates nor performs any useful function. Instead, its subtle presence invites moments of interruption, attention, and reconnection with the living world. Through the story of its conception, production, and use, the narrative questions technological solutionism, the pursuit of efficiency and control, and the widespread assumption that technology is neutral. Nell emerges as a transitional object, situated between a technologically dominated society and the possibility of different symbolic, material, and relational practices. Rather than proposing a technological solution to ecological and social crises, the article reflects on the significance of small, non-instrumental gestures within broader processes of collective transformation.