Da fotografia à cultura visual: Arquivo Fotográfico e práticas de preservação do Iphan¹

ABSTRACT

The photo archive of Institute of the Historical and Artistic National Heritage (Iphan) as an institution of scientific knowledge related to architecture and urbanism has here a place of reflection for the fundamental understanding of conservation and restoration practices developed by the institute. The starting point is that the archive is the future of history, since it is there where the researchers can have access to the past or, more precisely, to an idea of the past projected into the future. Through a critical and investigative work as to the nature of this archive, organized mainly through photographic documents, this paper presents some of the Iphan’s strategies in the operationalization and design of a history to itself, a history to the Brazilian culture. This approach, aims to signalize to certain issues and possible approaches on visual culture, in its relation to the history of architecture and heritage.

KEYWORDS:
Visual Culture; Photography; Cultural Heritage; Architecture