On Friday December 5, The American University of Florence will host its 14th annual academic conference in collaboration with the Center for Italian Studies at Stony Brook University. The theme for this year’s conference is The Renaissance of Material Media: In Photography, Film and Beyond — a concept reflecting a cultural rise in the popularity of analog photography and filmmaking.

Conference Coordinators Sofia Galli and Fabio Binarelli collaborated in creating the theme for this year’s conference after observing students' renewed interest in analog media.

“I think it's a common feeling,” Binarelli mentions. “You want something real and material in your hands. There is a necessity for material media, so we want to explore to what extent this is important to people.”

Most might immediately think of cameras and celluloid — photography and film are the obvious stars when this renaissance of material media is mentioned. But this conference deliberately digs deeper by tracing how analog practices ripple out into books, design, music, pedagogy and everyday material culture, revealing unexpected connections beyond the image.

For example, Galli notes the increase in the sale of physical books in recent years as an example of the rise in popularity of analog media. She described how the experience of navigating a physical book differs from an e-book.

“Evidently, after having lost our capacity to read because we are exposed to so many stimuli around us, many individuals have sought to re-appropriate that very act, that very ontology of buying a book, navigating a book, possessing a book, not only as a story contained within the pages. It gives meaning to the spaces that you inhabit. It has an aesthetic power that goes beyond its containment, which is obviously incredibly important, the very story told,” she explains.

The conference will consist of many academic activities including a series of lectures, presentations, discussions and student panels. Opening remarks will be made to begin the conference at 9:15 a.m. from Galli and Binarelli, as well as institutional greetings from the President of District 1, Mirco Rufilli.

As mentioned, the conference moves beyond a simple celebration of film and photography, mapping how material practices intersect with literature, philosophy, aesthetics, music, design and education. The day will launch with a concentration on multimodal literature and editorial studies before shifting into film theory and criticism. Following the break for lunch, discussions inside AUF's Sala Rosa Conference Room will explore philosophy and aesthetics as well as film and visual culture, while simultaneous sessions in the Guicciardini Conference Room will concentrate on film photography. After the final coffee break of the day, simultaneous presentations return to Sala Rosa and Guicciardini.

Sala Rosa will host talks on music and design followed by contemporary art and memory, while Guicciardini will present advanced painting and sessions on education. The structure is designed to let participants move between deep, focused conversations and complementary, room-by-room dialogues.

The coffee and lunch breaks mentioned above will be provided by AUF's Apicius School of Hospitality, complementary for all attendees, students and scholars. Student panels throughout the day will feature those that are enrolled in this semester’s advanced painting & film photography courses. 

Ultimately, many individuals across The American University of Florence collaborate to host a successful conference. Coordinators Galli and Binarelli work to establish the theme and collect research papers aimed at fulfilling gaps in literature surrounding analog media. Overall, the conference works to strengthen ties with researchers from around the world as well as with other academic institutions, including its partner, Stony Brook University. 

The Renaissance of Material Media: In Photography, Film and Beyond will be hosted at Corso dei Tintori, 21 from 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM. Coffee and lunch breaks will be provided by the Apicius International School of Hospitality. Attendance is free & open to the public, reserve your spot today via the eventbrite link below or contact conferences@auf-florence.org for more info.