The SDF Historical Archive and the SAME Museum are members of Rete Fotografia, an association founded in January 2011 as an initiative by a group of organisations and institutions sharing a common goal of promoting and disseminating the culture of photography. The Network for the Enhancement of Photography is a space for discourse and sharing the latest developments for public sector, private sector and non-profit operators in the field of photography, allowing them to exchange knowledge and information among themselves and collaborate in actions for the furtherment of photography.
In addition to its primary and founding roles of raise awareness and promoting, the Association also contributes to training technical and scientific personnel through common training objectives, both of a managerial and purely educational nature, which encourage the exchange of knowledge and skills between different realities, and by promoting joint or coordinated projects with research centres.
Playing a crucial role in raising awareness of the Network known is education, and the creation of theme-based learning initiatives and workshops involving schools and young people in general, with a special focus on young photographers.
The Network also organises theme-based seminars for the public, during which member organisations exhibit their photographic heritage, making it accessible and open to the community. These events include “Archivi Aperti”, now in its 10th edition, a key event for photographic culture dedicated not only to experts and professionals but also to the lay public.
The series of events scheduled for this year will be kicked off by the opening conference on Friday 11 October at the Sala Biagi of the Lombardy Region, during which numerous speakers will present the theme of this edition of the festival: “Pages of Photography’, while visits to the collections of the participating Archives, guided by the curators and photographers, will take place from 12 to 20 October.
But why the title “Pages of Photography”? This title has been chosen for an edition that aims to analyse the complex relationship between photography and the publishing world, a relationship that implies processes of selection and reflection on the work of the photographer, on the archives that have been built over the years and, in general, on the dissemination of the culture of photography culture. With this edition, Rete Fotografia also wants to draw attention to the importance of the professional’s personal library, an important heritage that mirrors the choices made by the photographer throughout their career, and on the institutions and publishers that have played a role in the transformation of a nation’s visual culture. From the photographic and monographic catalogues of eminent photographers, to professional magazines, educational publications, corporate house organs, and even more popular forms such as postcards, comics and digital editions, along with all the developments in the field of communication that these imply.
The SDF Historical Archive will take part in “Archivi Aperti” once again this year, with an in-person seminar for any members of the public with an interest in this field organised at the Treviglio headquarters. Visitors will be accompanied in their discovery of the history of mechanised farming through photographs and advertising materials used in the company house-organ “SAME Informazioni” and “SAME 4 Ruote Motrici”, published from the 1950s up to the early 2000s. Participants in the event will also be given the chance to visit the SAME Museum situated next to the SDF Historical Archives.
The guided tour will take place on Thursday October 17 at 3 pm and will last approximately one and a half hours. While admission is free of charge, reservation is necessary as places are limited.
Anyone interested in participating can make a reservation writing to the e-mail address archiviostorico@sdfgroup.com or calling 0363 421695.
Further information is available at the Rete Fotografia website: https://www.retefotografia.it/ and the Archivi Aperti website: https://www.archiviaperti.it