Heritage Landscapes vol.43

In 1966, Ed Ruscha mounted a camera on a pickup truck and drove down Sunset Strip, photographing every single building, a simple yet revolutionary gesture. These negatives gave rise to Every Building on the Sunset Strip, a book that changed the way we look at Los Angeles forever.

But that was only the beginning; for over fifty years, Ruscha and his team returned to those streets to capture, using the same method, every small transformation of a city in constant motion. A meticulous work that has now become a gigantic visual archive.
This immense archive now reveals another dimension: over 65,000 digitised photographs that tell the story of Sunset Boulevard, one of Los Angeles' most iconic streets, and its transformation over fifty years.

Shot after shot, the boulevard changes its face: signs, buildings, lights and atmospheres chase each other, offering a unique glimpse into a city that is always on the move. What was once an artist's working material has now become a visual heritage that invites everyone to explore, discover and reinterpret urban history.
Thanks to the joint work of Ed Ruscha, the Getty and Stamen Design, this extraordinary collection is now accessible to everyone. You can browse through the images, walk down the street and admire the changes over the years, from 1965 to 2007.

"Yes, there's a certain power to a photograph. The camera has a way of disorienting a person, if it wants to and, for me, when it disorients, it's got real value."
- Edward Joseph Ruscha, artist

The Victoria & Albert Museum is dedicating a major exhibition to Cartier, celebrating the genius of its founder Alfred and his sons Louis, Pierre and Jacques. Amidst armoured display cases and vault-like atmospheres, the exhibition tells the story of the brand through jewellery created for sovereigns and icons of the 20th century: from the tiara of Baroness de Rothschild to the famous sapphire of the Queen of Romania. The story continues into the 21st century with timeless symbols: the Panther, the Love bracelet and watches still in production. A sparkling journey through beauty and the memory of luxury.

The restoration of the former municipal market in QT8 marks a decisive step for Milan: from 30 September, it will house the Centre for Advanced Studies in Visual Arts (Casva), as announced by Councillor Tommaso Sacchi. Founded in 1999, Casva houses the archives of 44 leading figures in architecture, design and graphic design, including Enzo Mari and Nanda Vigo, and has finally found a home in an emblematic location, in the neighbourhood designed by Piero Bottoni for the eighth Triennale in 1947. QT8 thus becomes the city's new cultural epicentre, with exhibition spaces, events, a bookshop and café, and is preparing to welcome the future of Milan's design heritage.

From 26 to 30 September, Archivio Aperto returns to Bologna, the festival organised by Fondazione Home Movies – Archivio Nazionale del Film di Famiglia, which for over twenty years has been preserving and promoting a heritage of more than 40,000 private and experimental films. The 18th edition, entitled Time of Liberations and directed by Giulia Simi and Sergio Fant, reflects on the theme of liberation in its many forms. The programme includes an international found footage competition with 10 feature films and 11 short films, including Holofiction by Michal Kosakowski, also presented in Venice.

Credits: Getty, Peter Kelleher, Casva, Archivio Aperto.

From 3 to 7 September, Mantua once again became the beating heart of international culture with the 29th edition of Festivaletteratura, one of the most eagerly awaited publishing events of the year.
Once again in 2025, our Archiui software was a partner of the event, contributing to a rich programme of meetings with authors, readings, guided tours, shows and concerts that transformed the city into a veritable laboratory of ideas and narratives. Among these was “Classici avventurosi” (Adventurous Classics), a meeting with Tommaso Braccini and Stefano Tonietto dedicated to the troubled histories of ancient texts. For Promemoria Group, supporting this journey through fires, thefts and miraculous discoveries meant supporting and promoting an event that fascinates all history and archive enthusiasts, putting culture at the centre.