This 2022 edition's theme sees the Archives as a means of bridging a transversal and multi-level gap.
Contemporary societies are characterized more than ever by diversity a myriad of different communities, cultures, languages, institutions and technologies interact in a common space and make up our complex societies. Bridging the gap between global and local, public and private, centre and periphery, majority and minority, duties and rights, hi-tech and low-tech – to name a few – is key to the development of a society where all different components coexist and thrive.
Archives play a fundamental role in this scenario since they embed and represent the values of a society – in a word, its identity – in a dynamic way. They are not passive containers of our memory. They are rather proactive agents that shape our memory. Therefore, they are a strategic factor for bridging the gaps. On the other hand, archives have to face the internal gaps that affect their mission and hamper their use – in a world of ever-changing technologies archives are striving to manage new objects, formats and techniques.
The challenges are not easy. Archives need to:
- bridge the digital gap and deal with new and disruptive technologies, methods and environments (such as blockchain, big data analytics, Internet of Things, virtual reality, augmented reality, Artificial Intelligence, algorithmic techniques and gamification);
- bridge the cultural gap so that minorities, new cultures, professional identities, emerging values (such as sustainable living) and new forms of cooperation, work organization and education can find their space; and
- bridge the democracy gap so to get citizens and institutions closer, empower citizens, enforce rights and shorten the distance between personal and collective memory.
If archives succeed bridging these gaps, they will be a bridge to the future.
Location
ROME AND THE ARCHIVES
According to some recent international rankings, the Library and Archive Sciences Faculty of the “La Sapienza” University in Rome has positioned itself among the top 50 in the world, a fact that is not surprising, given the high quality of both the studies and the Italian archival tradition. In line with this tradition, there are, among others, the manuals and reflections of Eugenio Casanova, Elio Lodolini, Paola Carucci, some of the most popular names. This excellence is less known at the international level due to the increasingly limited capacity of the country to participate in the frameworks for the development of standards, principles, and tools in this field of interest, so it is considered necessary and useful for the whole community (not just the national one) to host the Annual ICA Conference, as an opportunity to strengthen ties with the various archival traditions and to renew the weakened connections, starting from the new generations of professionals, who have just entered the General Direction of Archives in the past two years.
Italian colleagues in ICA organizations, of which Maria Guercio, and members of the ICA Programme Committee (2012-2020), will be natural liaising elements.
CAPUT MUNDI, THE CAPITAL OF THE WORLD
Rome’s history spans 28 centuries. A true dream for historians, archeologists, and art historians, Italy and Rome’s heritage can be found everywhere throughout the city, and inside the numerous archives preserved in the palaces and buildings scattered around its 19 municipalities.
STORIES OF MEN AND CULTURES – ARCHIVAL TREASURES
The religious communities in Rome own precious archival treasures, just to mention two: the worldwide famous Vatican Secret Archive, with its 85km of documentation, and the Historical Archive of the Roman Jewish Community, one of the most important in Europe.
LA DOLCE VITA – FASHION ARCHIVES AND CULTURAL HERITAGE
Speaking of Rome, one cannot avoid mentioning Cinecittà Studios, where many Academy Award-winning movies have been set, and where Italy’s most important audiovisual archives are kept.
Rome is also an important fashion and design center thanks to renowned international luxury brands centered in the city, which are the proud owners and ambassadors of fashion archives and cultural heritage.
THE CITY OF ART – ARTIST ARCHIVES
Rome has an unbreakable bond with art. In addition to visitors of its wonderful galleries, the city has welcomed, for more than a century, young artists and scholars in its 22 international academies.
Artist archives are well represented in Rome: Villa Torlonia hosts the archive of the Scuola Romana, offering a comprehensive view of this art movement born between the two wars.
VENUE: AUDITORIUM ANTONIANUM
Full address: Viale Manzoni, 1, 00185 Roma
Sited in a prestigious location, in the heart of the historic center, just 15 minutes walking from the Colosseum, the Antonianum Auditorium, with 572 seats and 4 different meeting rooms fully accessible to anyone and equipped with top-level technologies, combines the courtesy of the people with advanced technological expertise and the charm of an elegant building.
The history of the Antonianum Auditorium begins in 1947 when the architects Mario Paniconi and Giulio Pediconi were commissioned to redact the design of an Aula Magna to accommodate students and events of the Antonianium Pontifical University, as well as classrooms for lessons and a library.
The new Aula Magna was located in the courtyard of the University with the typical shape of Parliaments and Academies, excellent in terms of visibility and geometric regularity of the seats. The acoustics were studied by Prof. Giacomini, Director of the Electro-Acoustic Institute in Rome.
The restorations, completed in 2010, have made the charming original structure an efficient and avant-garde Congress and Events Center, with functional and versatile spaces for every type of meeting, integrated with the most advanced technologies.
Program
the program can be found here.