Malagola's Sound Archives Open in Ravenna, Preserving 33 Experimental Vocal and Sonic Artists

The Sound Archives of Malagola, an international vocal and sonic research center, have opened in Ravenna's historic Palazzo Malagola. Founded and directed by actress-author Ermanna Montanari and scholar Enrico Pitozzi, the archives offer free public consultation every Friday and the first Saturday of each month from 10am to 6pm. This collection preserves the ephemeral nature of performance art by making available audio and video materials from 33 key Italian and international artists working in vocal and sonic experimentation. The archive occupies four ground-floor rooms: a Listening Room, a Viewing Room, an Immersive Room for group listening, and a Cinema Room. Each space features touchscreens for selecting materials, using a heart-shaped anatomical drawing by Stefano Ricci as the archive's totemic interface. The project is described as generative and regenerative rather than merely conservative, aiming to build new meaning through collective listening. A roundtable discussion preceding the inauguration featured participants including dramaturge Renata Molinari, critic Antonio Audino, composer Francesco Giomi, and journalist Luca Valtorta, who emphasized the need for living archives. The collection includes works by artists such as Demetrio Stratos, Alvin Curran, Joan La Barbara, Myriam Gourfink, Kasper T. Toeplitz, and many others, spanning actors, performers, singers, and musicians who have pursued experimental paths.