Editorial. The Duration of the Image
In his editorial, Roberto de Rubertis introduces a reflection on the temporality of images, understood as physical permanence, continuity of meaning, and transformation of significance over time. Since the dawn of civilisation, images have played an essential role in the relationship between human beings and the world, helping them understand their environment, represent it and build conscious relationships with what surrounds them.
Through examples such as the rock carvings of Val Camonica and the Parthenon, this issue of “XY” investigates how images move through history, sometimes outliving the works and subjects they depict, sometimes remaining inseparable from their material support. Representation thus becomes an instrument of memory, knowledge and design, capable of recording physical, cultural, and symbolic transformations and giving new life to meanings across time, in the wake of a Darwinian evolution.
