#unmuseoalminuto: Assolombarda and Museimpresa at the ADI Design Museum

#unmuseoalminuto: a large digital clock in the ADI Design Museum to celebrate the creativity and expertise of Italian companies

This permanent installation is a metaphor for the stratification of corporate culture over time and tells the story of more than 110 corporate museums and business archives

A large digital clock that, with the passing of time, reveals more than 110 corporate museums and business archives that preserve, protect and tell the story of Italian expertise, innovation, creativity and design. This permanent installation is called #unmuseoalminuto (#onemuseumeveryminute) which, as of today, visitors can admire at the entrance to the ADI Design Museum in Milan and follow on social networks thanks to an initiative by Assolombarda and Museimpresa, the Italian Association of Business Archives and Corporate Museums founded in 2001 by Assolombarda and Confindustria.

Designed by NEO [Narrative Environment Operas], #unmuseoalminuto is an instant, visual showcase of corporate museums and business archives – places that preserve objects and documents that tell the extraordinary stories of women and men who, aware of the dignity of doing business, invented, experimented, produced and built wealth, work, beauty and social inclusion.

Each museum is represented by an image that alternates, every minute, with those of the other museums and archives on the face of the large clock, a metaphor for the stratification of corporate culture over time. Every time the seconds hand moves, the clock face changes. The pendulum, with its rhythmic tracking of time, is the symbol of the past, present and future. It represents the ability of companies to look back on their history, to operate in the present and to look towards the future in a process of continuous innovation.

This installation emphasizes the relevance of corporate museums and business archives, institutions that preserve local knowledge and material culture, and which have become reference points in time and space for communities and local areas, both in cities and in districts where many Italian manufacturing companies have their roots.

The contents of the corporate museums and business archives involved in the initiative will be explored on the social media sites of Assolombarda and Museimpresa with the hashtag #unmuseoalminuto. Every week, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, from February to October, Museimpresa’s Instagram profile will tell the stories of the archives and museums taking part in the initiative, by sharing an image of the different clock faces. The aim is to make the general public aware of the incredible heritage preserved in the archives and museums and to introduce business culture to a younger audience.

“Italian business archives and corporate museums preserve and tell the story of the heritage of manufacturing knowledge and service quality. This is still a driver of sustainable development today and the cornerstone of a widespread economic, social and civil culture,” states Antonio Calabrò, President of Museimpresa. “It is precisely these business archives and corporate museums that work to preserve the memory and promote historical awareness and the renewal of company values. In corporate museums and business archives, history is recounted, not with nostalgia but in order to drive transformation. The identity of Italian companies demonstrates that it is possible to innovate without losing sight of tradition, turning tradition into a lever for change and competitiveness”.

“#unmuseoalminuto gives us back the ‘heart and soul’ of our companies, their expertise, the ideas and innovations that make ‘Made in Italy’ the most admired national brand in the world thanks to its quality and beauty”, emphasizes Alessandro Scarabelli, General Manager of Assolombarda. Business is culture and its values – which have always inspired our tradition – can still teach us how to face the challenges of the present and how to plan for the future, even more so in the current context of the profound economic and social transformation that hinges on the Recovery and Resilience Plan. ‘Doing business and doing it well’ is the motto behind our productive fabric. These elements are essential in ensuring that companies are a driver of positive change that contributes to the development of our country”.

For NEO [Narrative Environments Operas], corporate culture is an intangible heritage. It tells unseen stories about what lies behind the design or creation of an object, its use, the trends in fashion and customs, the spirit of the time, the changes in art, scientific progress and society. It is an inestimable heritage to share with new generations.

“In design terms, business culture is an essential component of project quality. A museum like the ADI Design Museum, that seeks to highlight all the factors in the processes that lead to the success of products, showcases the importance of business culture and its value by communicating it to visitors,” concludes Luciano Galimberti, President of ADI, the Association for Industrial Design.

The corporate museums and business archives belong to historic companies, which were founded over a century ago and have been active for many decades. They reflect the variety and quality of Italy’s industrial and entrepreneurial fabric, that ranges from design to chemicals and insurance, the production of coffee machines to sports clubs, major rubber and plastic companies to the textile industry, as well as the historical archives of Italy.