32698 - History, Conservation and Cataloguing of Photography and Audiovisuals

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student :

has a thorough knowledge of the history of photography and audio-visuals, cataloguing techniques and related methodologies, also in relation to new digital technologies;

knows the main critical and theoretical aspects of the history of photography, in particular the tools for documentation and study of cultural heritage;

will be able to apply this knowledge to documenting cultural heritage

Course contents

The course will deal with the history, conservation and cataloging of photography starting from the theme of the photographic archive,  as a place of knowledge and memory and functional to the practices of sedimentation and patrimonialization of photographic material.

The first part of the course will deal with the development of nineteenth-century photography and photographic techniques, with a slant that takes into account the role of photography in relation to the cultural history of contemporaneity, first of all briefly dealing with the critical theoretical debate on photography (including what has started from the analog / digital transition), therefore of the relationships and intertwining with a series of cultural and scientific fields and its applications and social functions (in particular with regard to Europe and North America).

The second part of the course will address some of the main issues relating to conservation and cataloging, institutions and research and protection initiatives that refer to photography as a cultural asset, both locally and nationally. The photographic cataloging standards (sheet F and sheet FF) and their applications at national level and the guidelines on the digitization of photographic images will be presented, with related examples and exercises.

Readings/Bibliography

For attending students:
1. The study of the notes taken in class and the materials distributed by the teacher during the course relating to the history of photography and the cataloging and conservation aspects of the photographic heritage (in-depth essays and slides distributed by the teacher during the lessons).
2. The study of the history of photography manual indicated in point A of the bibliography.

For non-attending students:

1) The preparation of the history of photography manual indicated in point A of the bibliography;
2) The preparation of a volume on the theoretical aspects of photography chosen from those proposed in point B of the bibliography;
3) The volume on the part dedicated to cataloging and conservation aspects of photographic archives to be chosen from those proposed in point C of the bibliography.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

A. Manual of History of photography

I. Zannier Storia e tecnica della fotografia, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 1984 (or later editions);

B) Theory of photographic tecnique

W. Benjamin, L'opera d'arte nell'epoca della sua riproducibilità tecnica, Torino, Einaudi, 1974 (capp. I e II);

R. Barthes, La camera chiara, Torino, Einaudi, 1981;

S. Sontag, Sulla fotografia. Realtà e immagine nella nostra società, Torino, Einaudi, 1978;

G. Freund, Fotografia e, società: riflessione teorica ed esperienza pratica di'una allievo di Adorno, Torino, Einaudi, 1976;

R. Krauss, Teoria e storia della fotografia, Milano, Bruno Mondadori, 1996

C) Works on conservation, cataloging and digitization of the photographic material

R. Scaramella, Fotografia: storia e riconoscimento dei processi fotografici.Roma, 1999;

I. Zannier, D. Tartaglia, La fotografia in archivio, Milano, Sansoni, 2000;

S. Berselli, L. Gasparini, L'archivio fotografico. Manuale per la conservazione e la gestione della fotografia antica e moderna, Bologna, Zanichelli, 2000;

Gli archivi fotografici personali nell’era digitale: memorie private e Public History, a cura di S. Allegrezza e R. Biscioni, Torre del Lago Puccini (LU), Civita Editoriale, 2021.

 

Teaching methods

The teaching methodology includes a series of lectures and an exercise on national and international photographic collections for a historical study and a technical / practical application of digital cataloging, digitization of photographic material.

 

 

Assessment methods

For attending students:

The verification will take place through:

a) The preparation and discussion of an original project (paper) based on an exercise on the main photographic collections to be held in the second part of the course. This project, to be presented and discussed in the classroom during the second part of the course, or directly during the final examination, will be given a grade that will average with the final grade on the day of the exam.

b) A final oral examination relating to the topics covered during the course. The test will take place with an oral test consisting of at least two questions on authors, movements or events in the history of photography whose knowledge was acquired during the course based on the study of the notes and the manual at point A. of the bibliography one of the manuals indicated at point A) of the basic bibliography, and a discussion relating to issues of conservation and cataloging of photographic archives based on the notes and in-depth materials distributed in class by the teacher.

The exam score is the average of the scores obtained in the individual project and the final oral examination.

For non-attending students:

The exam will be taken through an oral examination, preparing the texts as indicated in the bibliography section. The candidate must be able to correctly frame the languages, protagonists and events of the history of photography in their historical-cultural context (point A of the bibliography). For the part relating to the theoretical works (point B) and relating to the conservation and cataloging aspects (point C) it is required to be able to highlight the main theoretical issues that emerge from the reading and the essential problems that involve the conservation, cataloging and digitization of the photographic archives.

The candidate must be able to correctly frame the languages, protagonists and events of the history of photography in their historical context. For the part relating to monographic work, it is required to be able to highlight the essential issues addressed in the volumes and the main theoretical and methodological issues emerge from the reading.

For all students the final evaluation following indications of Alma Mater's guidelines:

- insufficient grade: lack of basic knowledge and inability to produce a correct interpretation of the texts and / or problems -
- sufficient grade: possession of basic knowledge; mainly correct interpretation, but conducted with imprecision and little autonomy.
- good grade: possession of intermediate level knowledge; fully correct interpretation, but not always precise and autonomous.
- excellent grade: possession of high level knowledge; interpretation of problems not only correct but conducted with autonomy and precision. Excellent oral expression skills.

Teaching tools

The course aims to give to the student a basic education on the main stages of the history of photography and audiovisuals, on historiographical currents, on the methodologies, sources and themes that have recently emerged in the research work and in the discussion within the discipline, but also on the treatment for the purpose of preserving and enhancing the audiovisual materials.

For this reason, in addition to the lectures, the student will be provided with digital tools such as power points and the possibility of accessing the computer lab (computer room on the mezzanine floor) where they can use scanners and PCs.

Exam materials and further readings can be found online on Virtuale UNIBO https://virtuale.unibo.it.

Reading lists and publications are available on Virtuale [https://virtuale.unibo.it/] . They can serve as preparatory materials for the course and can be useful to fill any gaps for those who have never had an approach to the Byzantine Art.

Students who are affected by learning disability (DSA) and in need of special tools to compensate it, are kindly requested to contact the Teacher, in order to be referred to the colleagues in charge and get proper advice and instructions.

Office hours

See the website of Raffaella Biscioni