Name of the projectArchitecture and Remembrance: the discrimination of architects in Nazi-fascist regimes

Acronym: ARCH MEM

Ongoing project

Lead partner: FOUNDATION OF THE ORDER OF ARCHITECTS LANDSCAPE PLANNERS AND CONSERVATORS OF THE PROVINCE OF MILAN (FOAMI)

Short description

The project intends to recover and enhance the memory of the architects who couldn’t do their job due to discriminatory measures adopted during the nazifascist regimes in Italy, Central Europe and other different countries, sensibilitating either the professional community and the public.

Project goals:

  • to encourage the resource in the intern archives and to stimulate the production of output that can translate for different public information, stories and results of storical and architectonic research target’s.
  • to understand, thanks to a specific research focus, more precisely the dynamics and consequences of Nazi-fascist regimes within a broader framework of historical events, illuminating a hitherto insufficiently investigated piece of history.

Project activities

After an operational project kick-off meeting between the partners, the work method will be supported by research conducted within professional associations, libraries and entities related to Jewish culture.

The situation of the research of the jewish architects and engineering persecution in the second half of the years ‘30 and during the years of the WW2 is incomplete, despite the fact that the number of professionals involved and their level of quality are quite high both in Italy and in Europe. The research proposed by the CDEC partner wants to examine public archives, the ones of the professional orders involved and the historiographical literature that has dealt inorganically with this issue. So far the topic has been treated with limited studies and commemorative works, which will certainly be taken into account. The proposed research will be conducted using the historical method and will make use of the collaboration and the synergy of all the agencies and institutes that have so far dealt with the persecution of Jews in Europe.

Finally they will be realized: a video-documentary, an exhibition about architects affected by discriminatory acts, a graphic novel, and a publication.

Partnership:

  1. FOUNDATION OF  LANDSCAPE PLANNERS AND CONSERVATORS ARCHITECTS OF THE MILAN PROVENCE (FOAMI) – ITALY
  2. UNIVERSITY KOMENSKEHO V BRATISLAVE – SLOVAKIA
  3. FOUNDATION JEWISH ONLUS CONTEMPORARY DOCUMENTATION CENTRE (CDEC) – ITALY
  4. MAXXI FOUNDATION NATIONAL ARTS MUSEUM OF XXI CENTURY – ITALY
  5. ORDER OF ARCHITECT  OF BOLOGNA – ITALY
  6. ORDER OF ARCHITECT P.P.C. OF ROME AND PROVINCE – ITALY
  7. ORDER OF ARCHITECTS P.P.C. OF FERRARA – ITALY

Duration: The project lasts 18 months, from april 2022 to september 2023

Budget: 137.280,00 €