Real Casa dell'Annunziata - Art and Memory

on April 23th 2008- at 16.00h
on the occasion of the reopening of the Medial Library

Real Casa Santa dell'Annunziata
Via dell'Annunziata, 34 - Napoli

Prof. Nicola Spinosa Soprintendente al Polo Museale Napoletano
Dott.ssa Maria Rosaria de Divitiis Soprintendente Archivistico per la Campania
Prof. Guido D'Agostino Dipartimento di Storia - Università Federico II
Dott. Romualdo Capone Dirigente Servizio Archivi Storici
M.to Vittorio Avella De "Il Laboratorio"
Prof.ssa Dolores Feleppa Madaro Assessore alla Memoria della Città

Presentation of the Quaderno 2008 dell'Archivio Storico Municipale of Naples and of the project The dream of Mnemosine

The quaderno 2008 of the Archivio Storico Municipale of Naples

In 2000 the number 0 of "Quaderni dell'Archivio Storico Municipale" was published. Unfortunately, Dolores Feleppa Madaro, Assessore alla Memoria della Città, affirms, it represented just a test that hasn't developed. Since I took office, I have understood that one of my tasks was to carry out that number 0, It was a moral obligation for the scientific community and for the whole city.
Towards the scientific community because I continue supporting with great conviction, every time I speak about the Archivio Storico Napoletano,: the rich documental heritage contained, it has some points of excellence concerning the public charity. The excellent work of rationalizationin the bottom of Real Monte della Venerazione del SS. Sacramento is an evidence of the heritage which has been registered in a small part and of which in the next years we have to study in detail.
Towards the city that has in the historical record the own DNA, a DNA that like the organic polymer, that everyone doesn't know or forgets to have but it is necessary to understand what and how we are and, above all, how we have become.

The dream of Mnemosine

The work
The project The dream of Mnemosine present itself with an original interpretation of a weel-known symbol of Naples. It deals with a riproduction of size 40x40 cm.

The drawning
The emblem represented and used by Archivio Storico Municipale di Naples is inspired by the seal used in XVIII century by the government of the city. A first elaboration of the mark was used as distinguishing mark of the Archive in 1928-1929, period in which teacher Alessandro Cutolo had the task to provide for the direction, for the order, the improvement of the Archivio Storico of Naples. In 2004 it was restored with the purpose of improving the graphic legibility.

Heraldic description: in the red field, civic escutcheon stamped by a ducal coronet, kept by two puttini, surrounded by the white inscription:FIDELISSIMA CIVITAS NEAPOLITANA .. ; black border with white, prominent and trifoliate garland.

Mnemosine is the deity that protects the Memory. She is a Titan, a primordial power, previous to the Gods of the Olimpo. She is the daughter of Gea and Urano, she lets other Gods become Gods and men overcome the wild phase. The anthropology shows that the human being distinguishes himself from animals because he is homo sapiens, Mnemosine allows men to be aware of their own knowledge and of their own experience. Mnemosine conceived with Zeus nine daughters: everyone had the task to protect an art: epic Poetry, History, amorous Verse, liryc Poetry, Tragedy, Mime, Comedy, Dance, Astronomy. Mnemosine dreams too, and dreaming the memory changes into something and gets mixed up: he becomes a new thing different from itself.