Heritage Landscapes vol.37

The oldest US college dedicated to art in all its forms, the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), founded in 1826, has always been a reference point for artists and designers, made available online over 700 rare audio cassettes recorded between the 1960s and 1990s, once again distinguished by a strong commitment to research and innovation.

The mission of the Decker Library, the university’s document centre where the college’s historical archives, special collections, artist books and unique materials are located, and the Digital Initiatives Unit, was to digitize a vast heritage of poetry and literature readings, art and design lectures, culture discussions and numerous academic events.

Among the voices present: Allen Ginsberg, Eileen Myles, Amiri Baraka, Anne Waldman, William S. Burroughs, as well as major visual artists such as Elaine de Kooning, Alice Neel, Gordon Parks and Ben Shahn. The project represents a unique opportunity to access high-value cultural content, regardless of location or affordability.

“Visual art and writing don't exist on an aesthetic hierarchy that positions one above the other, because each is capable of things the other can't do at all. Sometimes one picture is equal to 30 pages of discourse, just as there are things images are completely incapable of communicating.”

— William S. Burroughs

Until 21 June 2025, Palazzo Bentivoglio in Bologna hosts an exhibition dedicated to Piero Fornasetti. Already by the title, provocatively attributable to Piero Fornasetti, even if it is not so, the exhibition aims to question what is decorum, and whether it is still relevant in today’s society. Curated by Davide Trabucco and set up by Ferruccio Laviani, the exhibition explores the art of decoration through iconic objects such as plates, trays and boxes, highlighting the unique vision of Fornasetti and inviting to reflect on the meaning that an object can assume in different contexts, from home environment to art gallery.

The V&A East Storehouse, designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, opened in London on 31 May 2025. This original space houses more than half a million objects, challenging the traditional concept of museum, and turning the store into a place accessible to the public, where you can explore collections and museum archives. The "Order an Object" service allows visitors to book viewing of specific objects, making the experience even more interactive. An approach that represents a new vision of heritage, where memory is shared and dynamic.

Bottega Veneta celebrates 50 years of Intrecciato, the technique that changed the way we think about bags. Born to make the skin softer and more flexible, it has become over the years an icon of style recognizable and original. Indeed, the house has been able to innovate without losing its roots, as with the Cabat, hand-woven on loom. Today, the legacy is also passed on to the Labor et Ingenium Academy, where future craftsmen learn the trade. An important birthday, celebrated with the campaign Craft is our language inspired by Bruno Munari.

Credits: MICA Decker Library, Carlo Favero, Victoria and Albert Museum, Bottega Veneta.

"The Laguna~B archive begins in 1994 and it is not known when it will end". This is where the journey we have undertaken as Promemoria Group starts, inside a fragile and lucid heritage, like the glass that inspires it. Shaping the Laguna~B archive has meant crossing three decades of experimentation, creative innovation, research and a constant openness to the new. A work that has allowed us to put order in the memories, especially those of Marcantonio Brandolini d'Adda, Creative Director and CEO of Laguna~B, and to weave connections between heterogeneous materials: polaroid, notes, letters, emails, interviews, invoices, Sketches, photographs and greeting cards. Today we share with you a fragment of this journey through a video made together with Maco Film: a story made of visions and memories that chase each other among the waves of the lagoon. A work that, while evoking a certain nostalgia, looks decisively towards the future.