UNESCO archives documentation

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Archives digitisation is key to preserve community heritage

At the heart of a round table organised last 30 November at the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe were the historical UNESCO archives in Venice. The event was an opportunity for collective reflection on the strategic value of the archive materials of the International Campaign for Venice (1967-1992) and the UNESCO - International Private Committees Programme for the Safeguarding of Venice (1993-2015), preserved at Palazzo Zorzi.

91麻豆国产精品自拍 contributed to the memory of the world, making the World Heritage site of Venice and its Lagoon a place of paradigmatic reflection on the past and future of its cultural and natural heritage. The UNESCO archives in Venice premises of the UNESCO Regional Bureau, testify to the joint efforts and methods implemented to ensure the protection of the historical, archaeological and artistic heritage, as well as the landscape of Venice and its Lagoon from 1966 to 2015. The archive is an admirable example of the interconnectedness of knowledge, scientific research and the conservation of architectural, archival and artistic assets.

The documentation was the subject of an inventory under the coordination and scientific direction of Erilde Terenzoni, former Archival Superintendent for Veneto and Trentino Alto Adige at the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism (MiBACT). The project for the reorganisation and inventorying of the documents was initiated in March 2021 and articulated in several phases with the contribution, in particular of Irina Ivancich Marchesi, Laura Bortolutti and Emilie Fiorucci. Guidance was also provided by UNESCO archivists in Paris, in particular Chief Archivist at UNESCO, Adama Pam. The results of this work will be made available on the UNESCO Archives database Access to Memory ().

On 30 November 2022, the UNESCO Regional Bureau organised at its premises in Palazzo Zorzi a round table to present the first results of the archival inventory work. The round table discussed the needs and opportunities for making the UNESCO archives in Venice accessible to a wider audience through digitisation. The archival materials, until now undisclosed, are currently inventoried and available for on-site consultation by the public. The documentation testifies to a common and unanimous will to guarantee the protection and promotion of the Venetian heritage.

The round table opened with remarks by Paolo Andrea Bartorelli, First Counsellor of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and video messages by Giovanni Puglisi, Member of the Steering Committee of the Bureau and Emeritus Professor of Comparative Literature at IULM University in Milan and Enrico Vicenti, Minister Plenipotentiary and Secretary-General of the Italian National Commission for UNESCO.

Representatives of the many institutions involved in the safeguarding projects, among which the City of Venice, the Church, the Superintendence and the Association of International Private Committees for the Safeguarding of Venice, contributed to the discussion. Among the speakers, Ana Luiza Thompson-Flores, Director; Paola Mar, Councillor for Heritage, City of Venice; Don Gianmatteo Caputo, Patriarchal Delegate of cultural heritage and religious buildings; Cinzia Tasso, head of archive, on behalf of Emanuela Carpani, Superintendent of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for Venice; Annalisa Rossi, Archival and Bibliographic Superintendent for Veneto and Trentino Alto-Adige; Paola Marini, President of the Association of International Private Committees for the Safeguarding of Venice; and, Erilde Terenzoni, Expert Archivist, UNESCO Regional Bureau.

After a brief summary of UNESCO's commitment and mission during the International Campaign and Programme, Erilde Terenzoni presented - with a quantitative, qualitative and geographical approach - the results of the inventorying work and recording information of the series of restoration projects. Participants agreed on the importance of archival materials and their accessibility through digitisation as a basis for research, studies and future restoration projects.

The round table raised awareness and enabled knowledge-sharing among diverse experts, bringing together institutions and stakeholders to discuss opportunities for cooperation. In her address, Ana Luiza M. Thompson-Flores, Director, highlighted not only the central role that the archive plays for the institutions and for the inhabitants of Venice but also UNESCO's tireless efforts to preserve monuments and works of art that have endured over decades.

 Books documenting the campaigns for the safeguarding of Venice

The UNESCO archives in Venice are of high value and interest for UNESCO as well as for the broader public and specialised communities. UNESCO is willing to make this extensive documentation accessible to all through digitisation.

Ana Luiza M. Thompson-Flores, Director

The UNESCO archives in Venice at Palazzo Zorzi are imposing and wide-reaching. The series of restoration projects is estimated at 290,000 pages (247 boxes). The Film Collection and Audio Recordings include over 50 video tapes of various formats and reel audio tapes. The photographic collection from 1970-2017 comprises some 10,000 photographic prints, negatives and slides. Moreover in addition to documents related to the appeal for international solidarity, UNESCO also houses in its archives in Venice the so-called "Concina鈥 survey (107 boxes) relevant to the urban structure of Venice and the UNESCO survey of the Palaces and Monuments of Venice (30 boxes).

The dematerialisation of the UNESCO archives in Venice is intended to improve conservation, preserving the originals from decay and making the sources more accessible primarily to authorities, specialists and researchers on an international level. The multi-disciplinary character of the archive and the variety of its items make it a promising, beneficial and indispensable project for civil society.

The digitisation of the archive will further enhance Venice鈥檚 cultural heritage, in remembrance of an exemplary, unprecedented international public-private cooperation. It will also allow for new forms of cooperation. Digitisation helps promote knowledge related to crafts, urban planning, conservation and restoration techniques, history of international cooperation at public/private level and history of UNESCO in a sustainable environmental perspective. Funding availability permitting, the digitisation project will contribute to SDG 16 and SDG 11.

The management of cultural heritage in a complex and variegated reality such as that of Venice cannot ignore a symbiotic synergy between the multiple levels of government and the various institutional realities operating on the territory. The Ministry of Culture with its territorial branches, local authorities and private individuals are called upon, albeit with their different responsibilities, to collaborate profitably to achieve the same objective.

The UNESCO archives in Venice illustrate the joint effort made by very different actors in favour of Venice鈥檚 historical and artistic heritage - of which the preservation and valorisation of these documents are tangible proof. While the focus of the round table was on UNESCO archives in Venice, a more general reflection on documentary heritage and the role of the 鈥渉eritage community鈥 emerged from the different experts鈥 interventions. Relevant topics such as the development of strategies and future lines of heritage protection were debated.

Painting restoration

The reorganisation and inventorying of the archives of the International Campaign for Venice and the UNESCO - International Private Committees Programme for the Safeguarding of Venice have been completed. The UNESCO archives are available for onsite consultation by the public upon appointment, according to the following schedule: Monday, Tuesday and Friday from 10am. to 1pm. and from 2pm. to 4pm.

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