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Intelligent Archives Conference

An International Symposium Organised by Istituto Marangoni and IEREK

Second Edition of the International SCIN ("Sustainable Creative Art: Inspiration from Nature") Conference about the dialogue between emerging creative technologies, which are powered mainly by Artificial Intelligence, and the historical perspectives defining practices in art, fashion and design.

From 10th to 12th November in Milan

IEREK and Istituto Marangoni are proud to announce the second Edition of International Conference on Sustainable Creative Art: Inspiration from Nature - (SCIN)' scheduled to take place in Milan from 10th to 12th November 2026.

 

CONFERENCE MAIN THEME

Intelligent Archives explores the dialogue between historical knowledge, innovative technologies, and contemporary creative practice, bringing together perspectives from art, fashion, and design to reflect on the role of archives in shaping culture and creativity today.

Far from being a static repository, the archive is a living space where ideas are preserved, revisited and continuously reinterpreted.

Drawing inspiration from this vision, Intelligent Archives explores the archive as a dynamic territory where memory and invention meet. More than a record of the past, the Archive becomes a site of interpretation, where cultural heritage is activated, questioned and transformed through contemporary perspectives. Across art, fashion and design, creative practitioners have long engaged with archives as sources of discovery and renewal. By bringing together researchers, designers, artists and cultural thinkers, the conference reflects on how archives continue to shape creative practice, opening new dialogues between history, culture and new futures.

Behind the concept 

The future comes from the past.

For creatives, Archives have long been places of discovery, offering a rich repository of references, narratives, and ideas that can be revisited, reinterpreted, and transformed.
The past has always provided artists and designers with a framework for interpreting contemporary culture and shaping future directions. In this sense, heritage and innovation have never been opposing forces; rather, they exist in constant conversation, generating fresh perspectives and creative possibilities.
By examining the ways archival materials influence contemporary practice, Intelligent Archives invites a deeper reflection on how memory, cultural heritage, and historical narratives continue to inform the creative visions of today and tomorrow.

AI through the eyes of Istituto Marangoni Students

 

This perspective is already visible in the work of our students, who are experimenting with Generative Artificial Intelligence as a creative medium, using it to develop new forms of expression and visual languages. The aesthetic identity of this very event, inspired by the work of students Andrea Besenzoni, Roberta Ceccatelli, Rossella Lozza and Ludovica Misciattelli, stands as a testament to the ongoing exploration conducted in the classrooms of Istituto Marangoni.

In the popular imagination, such an attitude might seem to have nothing to do with science and new technologies, yet Artificial Intelligence functions precisely because of the vast amounts of data that have been stored, annotated, catalogued: archived. The most disruptive technology of our time relies on an approach that is far from new to the creative field. The correspondence between these two worlds urges the wider community of researchers and creative practitioners to rethink the archive, as it is assuming new meanings across many fields. But this is not only a matter of meaning: leaving the realm of abstraction and embracing that of practice, we can begin to explore the potentialities, threats, and long-term impacts of such technologies in the field of Design, Fashion and Creative Arts; we can examine what changes in the construction of archival practices, as well as in their final outputs.

ierek marangoni

Creative works by students Andrea Besenzoni, Roberta Ceccatelli, Rossella Lozza, Ludovica Misciattelli.
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MULTIPLE NATIONALITIES

The global resonance of the conference is evident in the nearly 200 submissions received from researchers and practitioners across five continents.

 

From Chile to Taiwan, Jamaica to Palestine, and Australia to Egypt, the breadth of participation highlights the growing international interest in the relationship between archives, heritage, and contemporary creative practices.

 

Hosted in Milan by Istituto Marangoni and IEREK, the event will bring together a diverse constellation of voices, perspectives, and experiences. This international dimension is central to the conference’s ambition: to foster a truly global dialogue and expand the debate beyond traditional geographical and disciplinary boundaries.

Conference topics

  • Heritage as Cultural Memory & Driver to Trasformation.

  • Digital Archives & Intelligent Technologies.

  • Adaptive Tomorrow: Design in the Age of Permanent Transition.

  • Fashion & Archivial Intelligence.

  • Textile Innovation & Material Futures.

  • Curating Archives: Exhibitions, Museums & Spatiality.

  • Communication, Media & New Narratives.

  • Ethics, Authorship & Sustainability in the AI era.

  • Education, Research & Future Systems.