Durante la chiusura al pubblico dell’Istituto, in questa pagina vi proponiamo testi e riflessioni di amici e scrittori, talvolta scritti per l’occasione, scelti ogni giorno per voi. Un modo di rimanere vicini, anche nella distanza.
‘Memory Hunting in London’
For semiotics memory is a meaning, a value inscribed in the landscape. If this is true, this value is nowhere more visible, effective and compelling than in London. The London topography is punctuated with memorials, monuments, public sculpture and art, first of all the iconic ‘blue plaques’ of English Heritage. The London ‘blue plaques’ connect houses and buildings with women and men of the past, commemorating notable people who lived and worked there. Beginning in 1866 and still widely popular, the ‘blue plaque’ is the oldest scheme of this kind in the world.
My hunt for memorials in this part of London begins and ends with two notable Italians in Belgrave Square, where the Italian Cultural Institute sits. Enzo Plazzotta’s homage to Leonardo’s Vitruvian Man echoes the statue of Christoforo Colombo on the opposite side of Belgrave square. Stretching my legs in this part of London on a quiet Sunday during the lockdown, I moved from Belgrave Square and back again after 30 minutes or so. I encountered ‘blue plaques’ commemorating the ‘queen’ of British cookery writing, Elizabeth David, the French statesman Francois Guizot and the Hungarian composer Bela Bartok. Even this short itinerary between Chelsea and Knightsbridge taking in the memories inscribed in the London ‘blue plaques’ testifies to the cultural relations, the movements and the broad interconnectedness of the diverse cultures of Europe.
Katia Pizzi, Director, Italian Cultural Institute, London
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