Palermo e la peste dell'insonnia. Memoria e oblio nei disegni delle Collezioni Scientifiche del Dipartimento di Architettura dell'Università degli Studi di Palermo

Abstract

In the first part of One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez, the plague of insomnia strikes the inhabitants of Macondo, depriving them of both sleep and memory. The exhibition Palermo e la Peste dell'Insonnia (March–September 2023), set up in the temporarily unused spaces of Building 8 on the University of Palermo campus, interprets this metaphor in an ethical and political key, reflecting on memory and oblivion. The initiative, the result of a collective effort by faculty members, students, researchers, and doctoral candidates, presented to the public the richness of the D’Arch’s scientific collections: drawings, models, photographs, furnishings, and documents that bear witness to the history of architecture and engineering in Palermo through the work of figures such as Basile, Zanca, Colajanni, De Simone, and others. The exhibition fostered debate on the city’s identity memory and the urgent need to safeguard its fragile architectural heritage. For the first time, a selection of these collections was displayed in an itinerary that combined research, dissemination, and critical reflection. The accompanying volume aims to preserve a record of this heritage, encouraging its appreciation and conservation.