03 June 2021
The historical archives of OTO Melara and Agusta, along with the Historical Documentation Centre of the Leonardo Aeronautical Industry Museum – part of the Integrated Museum and Archival System coordinated by the Leonardo-Civiltà delle Macchine Foundation – will collectively participate in “La Notte degli Archivi”, together with the Ansaldo Foundation of Genoa. The event will open Archivissima – Festival degli Archivi 2021, with a programme of online content and in-person initiatives starting on 4 June at 18:30.
This year’s theme is “generations”, and will be an invitation to view the archives in perspective, looking at both the continuations and the transformations over time. The festival, which takes place from 4-9 June, will open archival networks in Europe for the first time, with the participation of three Leonardo archives which tell the historical industrial past with three different thematic readings.
The OTO Melara Historical Archive of La Spezia will present a documentary on the industrial film “Storia di un uomo e di un M 113” (Story of a man and an M 113) 1965. Kept in the Restani Fund of the Archives’ film library, this presents an ideal passage between two generations: the adult, experienced and full of “know-how” represented by the father figure, and the younger one, eager to learn, represented by the apprentice son. In the video, the original fragments of the film alternate between interviews with the producer Marina Piperno, and Armando Maccione, a former employee of OTO Melara hired in 1962. The film is an intertwining of narratives between past and present via the medium of news footage and unreleased testimonies.
“Un secolo di Agusta: due generazioni di elicotteri a confronto” (A century of Agusta: comparing two generations of helicopters) is the title of the video produced by the Agusta Historical Archive of Cascina Costa (VA). It explores generational transition in the technological evolution between two emblematic models that have distinguished the company history: the AB47, the first machine built at Agusta, from 1953, and the AW609 tiltrotor, which embodies a synthesis between the operational versatility of the helicopter and the performance advantages of the airplane. Starting from shots produced on the occasion of the centenary of Agusta in 2007, they will be retraced, through vintage photos, faces of the founders and constantly changing industrial landscapes. The story of these two historic feats of the company will be told against the backdrop of the transition from family management to corporate management, highly industrialised.
Finally, the “100 anni di volo a Torino, tre generazioni di progettisti” (100 years of flying in Turin, three generations of designers) webinar will detail the evolution of technical design in the aeronautical industry of the Piedmontese capital. From hand-drawn projects to the use of sophisticated software, the narration will focus on the transition from the drafting machine to augmented reality applied to design. This event will be broadcast via live stream at 19:00 on 4 June on “La notte degli archivi” website.
Finally, the Ansaldo Foundation, which will join the event for the third year, will present a video entitled “Il talento attraverso le generazioni: gli Ansaldo” to retrace – through the documents of the “Giovanni Battista Ansaldo” family archive – the stories of four generations of family members, highlighting the contribution that each protagonist has given to the history of Genoa and beyond.
To join the webinar “100 anni di volo a Torino, tre generazioni di progettisti” (100 years of flying in Turin, three generations of designers) follow the live streaming at 19:00 on 4 June on “La notte degli Archivi” website.
To watch the documentary from the OTO Melara Historical Archive, visit “La notte degli Archivi” website starting at 18:30 on 4 June.
To watch the video of the Agusta Historical Archive, visit “La notte degli Archivi” website starting at 18:30 on 4 June.
To watch the video of the Ansaldo Foundation, visit “La notte degli Archivi” website starting at 18:30 on 4 June.