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Stories of business archives and corporate museums

What are museums today and how do they work? How have these places evolved in Italy and Europe where culture is preserved, explored and communicated? How has the concept of corporate culture changed since the post-war period? How significant is this when it comes to the perceived value of Italian culture, both in Italy and abroad?
The film explores the characteristics of museums and archives. It asks what identifies an archive/museum linked to the history of a company, what values it should convey, and what essential tools (digital or otherwise) are needed to create institutions that communicate with the present-day audience while challenging the future.
The evolution of this theme will be discussed by museum directors, archivists, historians, communication experts, curators and architects, as well as musicians, artists and actors who have worked together to bring archives and museums to life through the use of different expressive media. Taking part in the film are Salvatore Accardo (violinist and conductor), Stefano Arienti (artist), Stefano Baia Curioni (Director of Fondazione Palazzo Te), Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev (Director of Castello di Rivoli Contemporary Art Museum), Mirko Cerami and Phillip Tefft (RAA-Ralph Appelbaum Associates), Fiorenzo Galli (General Manager of the Leonardo da Vinci Science and Technology Museum), Renata Molho (journalist and writer), Marco Montemaggi (Heritage Marketing Manager), Davide Ravasi (Professor of Management, University College London) Leonardo Sangiorgi (Studio Azzurro), Jeffrey Schnapp (Director metaLAB(at)Harvard), Chris Taft (The Postal Museum, London), Cino Zucchi (Architect), with the guest appearance of Toni Servillo, actor and director.

Business archives and corporate museums – the NewMuseum(s) – are a shared repository of knowledge, experience and usage that, through the preservation and showcasing of documents, iconographic materials, objects, products and machinery, tell the story of a company and its key figures. A wide-ranging and well-structured research and documentation project that illustrates the endless innovative capability of Italy, where the sciences and humanities meet technological research and civilization. It's the Italy you don't expect – a panorama of provinces brimming with excellence.

The 45-minute film is produced by Muse Factory of Projects and was conceived and directed by Francesca Molteni, and scripted by Cristiana Colli. Illustrations are by Sarah Mazzetti, a visual artist who collaborates with Italian and foreign magazines. The images accompanying the narration were specially created and also taken from the extensive photographic and audiovisual archives of corporate museums and the National Business Film Archives.

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