Fabio Severino on Culture and Technology: The Need for Integration

Fabio Severino, an economist and sociologist with an MBA and PhD in marketing, argues that the relationship between culture and technology is essential for dissemination and understanding. He notes that cultural institutions often lack budgets to keep up with technological obsolescence, which can deter investment. Severino cites Paco Lanciano, a veteran designer of cultural technologies with 30 years of experience and a former partner of Piero Angela on the TV show Quark, who asserts that technology should interpret culture, not just narrate it. Lanciano's projects, such as the Domus Romana under Palazzo Valentini in Rome (14 years old) and the Welcome to Rome museum (opened a year ago), demonstrate that quality content conceived with original technological storytelling can transcend obsolescence. The Domus uses projectors and laser beams to reconstruct a Roman villa from foundations, while Welcome to Rome employs mechanical machines, video, and visual effects in peep show stations to recount Rome's history. Lanciano believes that visitors should be drawn by the message and content, not by the technology itself, as wonder fades. The article was published in Artribune Magazine #47.