B.arbara Costa, 57, historian and archivist, has been responsible forHistorical Archive of Intesa Sanpaolo, which includes materials from the photojournalist agency Publifoto. Scientific supervisor and curator of documentary and photographic exhibitions, he has written history essays and archival guides. In recent years she has dealt in particular with technology applied to archives and the relationship between archives and the defense of human rights. She lives near Lodi with her family.
Barbara Costa, head of the historical archive of Intesa Sanpaolo
5 hours
“I turn on Radio24 for news and to listen to the rerun of the show Stories of rebirth by Matteo Caccia, then I let the dogs out in the garden – a border collie and an Australian shepherd – and three cats.
Breakfast follows: coffee and carbohydrates, especially sweets, preferably with chocolate. According to my husband, it runs in my veins, I depend so much on it ».
7 o’clock
“I leave to reach the Historical Archive of Intesa Sanpaolo, in Milan, a stone’s throw from the Gallerie d’Italia, one of our exhibition centers, in addition to that of Vicenza and the brand new ones of Turin and Naples (inaugurated on the first on May 17 and second today, May 21).
Designed by the AMDL studio of architect Michele De Lucchi, the Turin center also houses an archive: that of the photojournalist agency Publifotoactive from 1937 to the early 1990s, acquired in 2015. Seven million photographs, including plates, negatives, prints, which tell half a century of Italian history.
We have digitized 30 thousand of them, with the help of the most advanced technologies. I am also responsible for the bank’s history-related archive system, one of the largest of its kind in Europe. Twenty linear kilometers of historical documentsranging from the end of the fourteenth century (the oldest is a notarial deed on parchment of 1390) to the 2000s, also coming from 500 banks integrated by Intesa Sanpaolo. To follow everything I often move between our various offices ».
8 o’clock
The prospectus of the Gallerie d’Italia in Turin, the new Intesa San Paolo exhibition space, inaugurated on May 17th.
«In the morning I dedicate myself to following the projects started. A face-to-face work that requires a lot of method, to keep documents in suitable environments, prepare catalogs, digitize materials and promote opportunities to open this gigantic heritage to all. We are 16 plus external collaborators ».
2 pm «Sometimes I skip the lunch break, otherwise I would like to eat something in company. I have been a vegetarian for 35 years and in the summer I go for ice cream. They will be my Venetian roots, from the Val Zoldana, land of ice cream makers ».
3 pm
He takes care of the reorganization of the Publifoto Archive, patrimony of 800 thousand photographic services.
“We are dedicating ourselves in particular to the Publifoto archive, much awaited by scholars and documentary makers for its 800,000 news reports, with many high-quality photos. Now we have focused on the postwar period (the exhibition at the Turin Galleries, From the war to the moon, 1945-1969, is open until September).
Two people work there, with the contribution of interns and university students. We are thinking of developing educational activities to explain how the analog image worked ».
19.30
The latest title from Anne Tyler, which Costa appreciates a lot.
“I go back home. Horseback riding, which I love very much, is reserved for the weekend. My husband is an excellent cook and both my daughters and I shamelessly take advantage of it. I still have time for a chat and some sectoral reading, especially on archives and human rights and conservation of digital archives. Or a good novel. American writer Anne Tyler is my favorite. After a look at the agenda for the next day, I turn off the light at midnight ».
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