Heritage Landscapes vol.39
Heritage Landscapes is the Promemoria Group newsletter created to observe the contemporary heritage landscape. Twice a month we share the most interesting news and the most innovative projects, investigating those archival stories that turn an object, a brand or an insight, into a legend.
Between architecture, design, fashion, food, technology. With no limit to our curiosity.
Between architecture, design, fashion, food, technology. With no limit to our curiosity.
1. Main Theme
Archiving sounds
Studying musical instruments often involves venturing into a history of sound that spans centuries and cultures. A journey through the collections of European museums dedicated to music shows us how partial our knowledge is, because most of the music we listen to today is the result of a historical selection that has privileged some instruments over others. But from now on, we can learn more.
The MIMO project - Musical Instrument Museums Online allows you to discover and explore, free of charge and online, more than 64,000 instruments stored in public museums throughout Europe (and beyond). A valuable resource for researchers, musicians, teachers and the curious, who can thus discover fascinating and often forgotten instruments. The Basse de Viole from 1547, the Egyptian darabukka, several electric guitars and the mellotron are just some of the instruments on the site.
Searches can be filtered by era, country, type, museum or manufacturer. The site is multilingual and the quality of the photographs is very high. In addition, to make the experience even more immersive and complete, more than 400 recordings are available to accompany the instruments, including the sounds of musical clocks and disc mechanisms from the early 20th century, as well as numerous compositions, such as that of Nicolas Obukhov.
Searches can be filtered by era, country, type, museum or manufacturer. The site is multilingual and the quality of the photographs is very high. In addition, to make the experience even more immersive and complete, more than 400 recordings are available to accompany the instruments, including the sounds of musical clocks and disc mechanisms from the early 20th century, as well as numerous compositions, such as that of Nicolas Obukhov.
The work of platforms like MIMO is essential, because it is in this way that music archives come alive again: not just containers, but spaces for discovery, listening and research.
2. Avvistamenti. Traces of projects to keep an eye on
Studio Ghibli turned 40 years old on 15 June 2025. Founded in 1985 by Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, it revolutionised animation with stories suspended between poetry and dreams. To celebrate the anniversary, the Academy Museum in Los Angeles is dedicating an exhibition to Ponyo on the cliff by the sea, while in Italy Rai Gulp will broadcast Ronja, the Robber's Daughter, a series signed by Goro Miyazaki. A way to go back to the origins and rediscover a visual archive that has marked generations, uniting emotion, memory and imagination.
nspired by Swedish farmhouses 200 years ago, Ikea's new Ommjänge collection tells the story of rural Småland traditions. Starting with a 19th century portrait of a bride, which guided designers Maria Vinka and Matilda Hunyadi on a journey through bright colours, decorative motifs, traditional materials and the values of togetherness. Furniture, woven baskets, lamps and folding tables show how the past can still offer ingenious solutions for contemporary living. A collection that combines aesthetics and functionality, craftsmanship and industrial design, with values such as sharing and collaboration in mind.
The celebrations for the 500th anniversary of Palazzo Te, Giulio Romano's masterpiece, continue in Mantua. Amidst exhibitions, major loans and reopened spaces, a special Amarone signed Villa Della Torre is born: the label is inspired by the Chamber of the Sun and Moon. It is the third bottle dedicated to the frescoes of the Palazzo, accompanied by the illustrated game “Il Gioco del Ramarro” (The Ramarro Game). Moreover, in October, Isaac Julien's environmental video-installation will come to life, and a scenographic labyrinth will rise in the Garden of the Exedra. A year of art, metamorphosis and celebration to rediscover the splendour of the Gonzaga residence.
Credits: MIMO, The Asahi Shimbun/Getty Images, Insideart, IKEA, Palazzo Te.
3. Memory Lane. Things that happen, and we want to remember
How do we meet
On 23 June, we had the pleasure of participating in a special evening organised by UniSVe Srl, as part of the How Do We Meet project, dedicated to a topic that is particularly close to our hearts: the strategic potential of memory.
Together with Giacomo Golinelli, COO of Promemoria Group, and Chiara Zanesi, Heritage Director of Fornasetti and Heritage Consultant of Promemoria Group, we reflected on how archival heritage can become a real asset for institutions and brands. Not just a custodian of the past, but a living resource for generating value in the present and guiding future visions.
During Verso Sera #14 ‘The strategic potential of memory’, we talked about heritage valorisation projects, ranging from research and recovery work to cataloguing and strategies to transform these materials into artistic, editorial, exhibition and communication projects.
Together with Giacomo Golinelli, COO of Promemoria Group, and Chiara Zanesi, Heritage Director of Fornasetti and Heritage Consultant of Promemoria Group, we reflected on how archival heritage can become a real asset for institutions and brands. Not just a custodian of the past, but a living resource for generating value in the present and guiding future visions.
During Verso Sera #14 ‘The strategic potential of memory’, we talked about heritage valorisation projects, ranging from research and recovery work to cataloguing and strategies to transform these materials into artistic, editorial, exhibition and communication projects.