10.13125/2039-6597/1349
The Hamburg art historian Aby Warburg’s (1866-1929) idea of Kulturwissenschaft lends itself to interesting reflections in the context of what, in digital humanities, we call today the technology of linking and the visualization of complex systems (Manovich 2009; Lima 2011; Manovich 2012). Numerous are the affinities between Warburg’s method of work and the visual developments of semantic web, starting from the idea of connecting discrete areas. This suggests that digital technologies could enhance the resources of the Warburg Library and iconographic database in ways that could not only reflect but also expand the original plan of his founder. This article will concern the potential reconfiguration, or “remapping”, of the Warburg’s Library resources in the digital environment and anticipates further developments. The main questions we will address are, first, how the “narrative space” of the Library can be “remediated” (Bolter/Grusin 2001) through new techniques of visualization, and, second, how Linked Data and new techniques of visualization can support, and hopefully augment, Warburg’s approach to cultural history. The article concludes with a case study, the mythological figure of Venus: its presence in the Library and iconographic classification, its potential for linking and visualizing as well as the anticipated impact of such approach on the process of knowledge production and on scholarly research. 
application/pdf
2039-6597
1349
8
en
Francois Quiviger
Between
Venus.
“Linking Venus”. New Technologies of Memory and the Reconfiguration of Space at the Warburg Library
Text.Serial.Journal
https://ojs.unica.it/index.php/between
4
Visual Technologies and Digital Arts
2014-12-17
2014-12-02
2014-11-30
2015-01-13
1
Francois Quiviger
2014/12/17
10.13125/2039-6597/1349
The Warburg Institute, School of Advanced Study, University of London
2039-6597
8
Venus.
en
“Linking Venus”. New Technologies of Memory and the Reconfiguration of Space at the Warburg Library
https://ojs.unica.it/index.php/between/article/download/1349/1521
4
  




             "ʺLinking  Venus"ʺ  
     New  Technologies  of  Memory  and  
      Reconfiguration  of  Space  at  the  
             Warburg  Library  
                Emanuela  Patti  and  François  Quiviger  


                                     Introduction  
       The   Hamburg   art   historian   Aby   Warburg'ʹs   (1866-­‐‑1929)   idea   of  
Kulturwissenschaft  lends  itself  to  interesting  reflections  in  the  context  of  
what,  in  digital  humanities,  we  call  today  the  technology  of  linking  and  
the   visualization   of   complex   systems   (Manovich   2009   and   2012;   Lima  
2011).  Numerous  are  the  affinities  between  Warburg'ʹs  method  of  work  
and  the  visual  developments  of  semantic  web,  starting  from  the  idea  of  
connecting   discrete   areas.   The   physical   configuration   of   the   Warburg  
Library   ‒   the   largest   collection   in   the   world   focused   on   Renaissance  
studies  and  the  history  of  the  classical  tradition  ‒  is  based  in  fact  on  a  
structure  allowing  a  rhizomatic  model  of  conceptual  and  iconographic  
interconnection   among   cultural   materials,   rather   than   traditional  
categories   and   systems   of   classification.   Similarly,   the   model   of   map-­‐‑
rhizome   is   at   the   basis   of   his   last   project,   the   Mnemosyne   Atlas,   which  
applied   the   technique   of   "ʺmontage-­‐‑collision"ʺ   of   images   (Didi-­‐‑
Huberman-­‐‑Michaud   2007),   proving   that   the   "ʺatlas"ʺ   is   the   best  
representational   form   to   emphasize   iconological   patterns   throughout  
history.   This   blew   up   the   sequential   narrative   of   the   bookish   kind   of  
logic   encouraging   a   method   of   visual   mapping.   Both   the   Library   and  
the   Mnemosyne   Atlas   strongly   rely   on   «contact,   and   movement,  
between  different  milieus,  and  registers,  between  areas  that  are  usually  


Between,  vol.  IV,  n.  8  (Novembre/Novembre  2014)    
Emanuela  Patti  –  François  Quiviger,  New  Technologies  of  Memory  and   Reconfiguration   of  Space  
at   the  Warburg   Library  


thought  of  as  distinct  and  discrete»  (O'ʹ  Sullivan  2006:  17).  Interestingly,  
the   mapping   between   discrete   data   and   a   visual   representation   is  
precisely   the   aim   of   "ʺinformation   visualization"ʺ   or   infovis   (Manovich  
2009a).1   The   affinity   between   Warburg'ʹs   method   of   work   and   recent  
forms   of   visualization   of   cultural   data   suggests   then   that   digital  
technologies   could   enhance   the   resources   of   the   Warburg   Library   in  
ways  that  could  not  only  reflect  but  also  expand  the  original  plan  of  his  
founder.   Yet,   recent   projects   of   digital   classification   at   the   Warburg  
Library   such   as   Gods   and   Myths   have   demonstrated   that   while  
numerous   are   the   benefits   of   digitalization,   numerous   are   also   the  
challenges   –   in   the   first   place,   that   of   finding   the   right   compromise  
between   Aby   Warburg'ʹs   original   plan   of   classification   and   the   new  
possibilities  offered  by  digital  technology.    
       Based  on  these  assumptions,  this  article  will  concern  the  potential  
reconfiguration,  or  "ʺremapping"ʺ,  of  the  Warburg'ʹs  Library  resources  in  
the   digital   environment,   in   order   to   suggest   further   developments   of  
the  existing  digital  resources.  The  main  questions  we  will  address  are,  
first,   how   the   "ʺnarrative   space"ʺ   of   the   Library   can   be   "ʺremediated"ʺ  
(Bolter  and  Grusin  2001)  through  new  techniques  of  visualization,  and,  
second,   how   Linked   Data   and   new   techniques   of   visualization   can  
support,   and   hopefully   augment,   Warburg'ʹs   methodology   in   cultural  
history.2  Precisely  because  of  the  affinity  between  the  "ʺatlas"ʺ  –  as  both  a  

                                                                                                 
                   1
                        Cfr.   Lev   Manovich,   "ʺWhat   is   visualisation?"ʺ   (2011:   37):   «What   is  
information   visualization?   Despite   the   growing   popularity   of   infovis   (a  
common   abbreviation   for   "ʺinformation   visualization"ʺ),   it   is   not   so   easy   to  
come  up  with  a  definition  which  would  work  for  all  kinds  of  infovis  projects  
being   created   today,   and   at   the   same   would   clearly   separate   it   from   other  
related   field   such   as   scientific   visualization   and   information   design.   Let'ʹs  
define   information   visualization   as   a   mapping   between   discrete   data   and   a  
visual  representation».    
                   2
                        The   term   "ʺLinked   Data"ʺ   refers   to   a   series   of   best   practices   for  
publishing   and   connecting   structured   data   on   the   Web.   For   further  
information,   see   Bizer,   Christian   –   Heath,   Tom   –   Berners-­‐‑Lee,   Tim,   "ʺLinked  
Data:  the  story  so  far"ʺ  (2011),  205-­‐‑227.  


2  
                                                     Between,  vol.  IV,  n.  8  (Novembre/November  2014)  



paradigm   of   the   knowledge   process   and   an   early   technique   of  
visualization  –  and  recent  mapping  of  data,  this  endeavor  stands  out  as  
a   challenging,   yet   extremely   fascinating   goal.   The   article   will  
concentrate  on  the  specific  case  study  of  a  mythological  figure,  Venus,  
by  looking  at  how  the  potential  links  existing  in  the  four  sections  of  the  
Library   classification   (Image,   Word,   Orientation   and   Action   on   the  
theme   of   "ʺVenus"ʺ)   can   be   translated   into   digital   visualization,   their  
potential   for   further   development   and   what   impact   they   have   on   the  
process   of   knowledge   production   and   scholarly   training.   This   case  
study  is  based  on  a  project  in  progress  currently  developed  by  one  of  
the   authors,   François   Quiviger,   for   the   Warburg   Institute   Library.   Far  
from   the   ambition   of   being   exhaustive,   this   article   aims   to   simply   lay  
the   ground   for   further   investigation   on   how   Aby   Warburg'ʹs   idea   of  
cultural   history   can   be   augmented   through   digital   technology   to  
answer  the  needs  of  a  changing  research  environment.    


        Cultural  complexity  and  digital  humanities:    
    Possibilities  and  challenges  for  the  Warburg  Library  

                                                   Visualization   is   ready   to   be   a   mass  
                                                   medium    
                                                              Fernanda  B.  Viégas  and  Martin  
                                                       Wattenberg,  Interview  for  infosthetics.com  


      The   visualization   of   large   collections   of   "ʺbig   cultural   data"ʺ   has  
been   one   of   the   main   goals   set   by   researchers   in   digital   humanities.3  
We   are   dealing   today   with   billions   of   images,   texts,   videos,   designs,  

                                                                                                 
                   3
                        As   Manovich   clarifies   in   his   seminal   article   "ʺWhat   is   visualization?"ʺ,  
«The   meanings   of   the   word   "ʺvisualize"ʺ   include   'ʹmake   visible'ʹ   and   'ʹmake   a  
mental   image.'ʹ   This   implies   that   until   we   'ʹvisualize'ʹ   something,   this  
'ʹsomething'ʹ   does   not   have   a   visual   form.   It   becomes   an   image   through   a  
process  of  visualization»  (Manovich  2011:  44).  


                                                                                                                 3  
Emanuela  Patti  –  François  Quiviger,  New  Technologies  of  Memory  and   Reconfiguration   of  Space  
at   the  Warburg   Library  


photographs   available   on   the   Internet,   but   they   are   often   in   isolation.  
Still,  we  know  that   «any  reflection  on  culture  begins  with  an  informal  
comparison   between   multiple   objects   in   order   to   understand   their  
similarities   and   differences»   (Manovich   2011).   In   cultural   history   the  
main   question   is   then,   how   can   we   compare   all   such   information,  
identifying   correlations,   patterns,   long-­‐‑term   interactions?   Data  
management   tools,   comparative   mathematical   models,   charts   and  
schematic  flows  are  just  some  of  the  possibilities  offered  today  by  new  
technologies  to  deal  with  complex  systems  of  cultural  data.  However,  
as   Lev   Manovich   has   highlighted   in   his   article   "ʺMuseum   without  
Walls,   Art   History   Without   Names:   Visualization   Methods   for  
Humanities   and   Media   Studies"ʺ   (2012),   in   the   first   decade   of   the   21st  
century  projects  in  digital  humanities  mainly  focused  on  either  textual  
data,   such   as   literature,   historical   records   or   social   media,   or   spatial  
data,   such   as   locations   of   people,   places   and   events.   In   other   words,  
visual   media   remained   outside   of   the   computational   paradigm.   In  
more   recent   years,   new   techniques   of   visualization   have   been  
developed   with   impressive   results:   using   software,   we   can   visualize  
much   larger   data   sets,   create   animated   visualization,   show   how  
processes   unfold   in   time,   compare   images   and   texts   and,   even,  
manipulate   visualizations   interactively.   Not   only   can   we   express   data  
visually,  but  we  can  also  discover  unknown  patterns  and  connections  
between   texts,   images,   photographs,   and   so   on.   Employing   new  
techniques   of   visualization   to   identify   similarities,   differences   and  
emerging  patterns  in  cultural  data  could  therefore  radically  change  the  
way  we  conceive  the  representation  of  cultural  history.    
       The   objectives   illustrated   above   seem   to   be   very   much   in   tune  
with  Warburg'ʹs  concept  of  Kulturwissenschaft  that  was  indeed  based  on  
the  idea  of  recognition,  through  associations,  of  patterns  in  the  context  
of   flow,   evolution,   complexity,   heterogeneity,   and   cultural   hybridity.  
With   this   in   mind,   the   spatial   configuration   of   the   Library   resources  
was   conceived   as   to   suggest,   through   physical   proximity,   connections  
between  cultural  materials.  It  was  then  up  to  the  scholar  to  explore  that  
"ʺnarrative   space"ʺ   and   make   these   connections   "ʺvisible"ʺ.   However,  



4  
                                                   Between,  vol.  IV,  n.  8  (Novembre/November  2014)  



Warburg'ʹs   ideal   of   classification   faced   a   number   of   constraints   in   the  
paper   format.   To   mention   just   a   few   of   them:   in   the   classification   of  
images,   the   cross-­‐‑referenced   classification   of   a   photograph   requires  
more   duplicates;   also,   whilst   exploring   the   Library,   scholars   are  
exposed  to  either  the  chronological  and  topographical  classification  of  
materials,  or,  as  in  the  case  of  images,  to  the  iconographic  one.  In  brief,  
although   Warburg'ʹs   original   plan   of   classification   had   the   merit   to  
break  traditional  systems  following  disciplinary  or  alphabetical  orders,  
still  the  paper  format  did  not  allow  the  full  experience  of  the  "ʺnarrative  
space"ʺ   of   his   Library.   Finally,   the   representation   of   cultural   patterns  
seemed   to   be   another   big   challenge   of   Warburg'ʹs:   the   limits   of   the  
written   language   and   of   the   linear   form   of   traditional   writing   are,   in  
fact,   implied   in   the   choice   of   the   map-­‐‑rhizome   form   of   the   Atlas.   This  
leads   to   the   question,   to   what   extent   should   the   Mnemosyne   Atlas   be  
considered  as  an  early  form  of  visualization?4    




                                                                                                          
Figure  1:  12  plates  from  the  Mnemosyne  Atlas  (copyright  Warburg  Institute)  
                                                                                                 
                   4
                        For   a   general   introduction   about   the   Atlas   see   http://warburg.library.  
cornell.edu/  (last  accessed  7  May  2015).  


                                                                                                             5  
Emanuela  Patti  –  François  Quiviger,  New  Technologies  of  Memory  and   Reconfiguration   of  Space  
at   the  Warburg   Library  


         
       Arguably,   Linked   Data   and   new   techniques   of   visualization   can  
be  applied  to  the  very  rich  and  complex  set  of  "ʺbig  cultural  data"ʺ  of  the  
Warburg  Institute  Library.  It  is  clear  that  the  potential  of  visualization  
goes   far   beyond   the   project   of   digitising   the   rich   collection   of   the  
Library   to   simply   make   it   more   easily   accessible   for   scholars   visiting  
the   Institute   and   worldwide.   In   fact,   digital   technologies   are   likely   to  
enhance  Aby  Warburg'ʹs  method  of  work  in  a  way  that  physical  space  
of   the   Library   and   paper   format   did   not   allow,   therefore   augmenting  
the   possibilities   of   creating   links   between   cultural   materials.   Recent  
digital   projects   such   as   the   Gods   and   Myths   digital   collection   of   the  
Library   have   started   some   work   in   this   direction.   The   iconographic  
database   that   has   been   created   shows   the   visual   traditions   of   the  
ancient  gods  across  media,  chronologically  and  by  iconographic  types  
from  antiquity  to  modern  times.  In  this  way,  a  single  keyword  search  
makes  it  possible  to  lay  out  25  centuries  of  mythological  imagery.  But  
how   can   we   visualize   the   spatial   arrangements   of   other   relevant  
Library   materials   on   gods   and   myths?   And,   to   what   extent   could   we  
expand   the   cross-­‐‑referencing   between   materials,   in   order   to   visualize  
the   complex   patterns   of   relations   existing   in   the   Library?   The  
rhizomatic   model   underpinning   the   Warburg   Institute   Library   offers  
interesting  insights  in  this  direction.  




6  
                                       Between,  vol.  IV,  n.  8  (Novembre/November  2014)  




 The  rhizomatic  model  at  the  Warburg  Institute  Library  

                                      In  a  book,  as  in  all  things,  there  are  lines  of  
                                      articulation   or   segmentarity,   strata   and  
                                      territories;   but   also   lines   of   flight,  
                                      movements   of   deterritorialization   and  
                                      destratification…All   this,   lines   and  
                                      measurable   speeds,   constitutes   an  
                                      assemblage.   A   book   is   an   assemblage   of  
                                      this  kind,  and  as  such  is  unattributable.  It  
                                      is   a   multiplicity   […].   We   will   never   ask  
                                      what   a   book   means,   as   signified   or  
                                      signifier;  we  will  not  look  for  anything  to  
                                      understand   it.   We   will   ask   what   is  
                                      functions   with,   in   connection   with   what  
                                      other  things  it  does  or  it  does  not  transmit  
                                      intensities,  in  which  other  multiplicities  its  
                                      own   are   inserted   metamorphosed,   and  
                                      with  what  bodies  without  organs  it  makes  
                                      its  own  converge.    
                                                 Gilles  Deleuze  and  Félix  Guattari,    
                                                A  Thousand  Plateaus:  Capitalism  and  
                                                                          Schizofrenia  


      Anyone  familiar  with  the  Warburg  Institute  in  London  knows  that  
the   Library   follows   a   unique   classification.   Unlike   most   libraries'ʹ  
cataloguing   systems   organized   by   subject   matter,   alphabetical   and,  
then,   numerical   order,   the   350,000   volumes   of   this   collection   are  
classified  under  four  categories:  Image,  Word,  Orientation,  and  Action,  
arranged   over   the   four   floors.   The   Warburg   Institute   Library   was  
initially  set  up  to  support  Warburg'ʹs  research.  Two  core  aspects  of  the  
Library  classification  echo  his  broad  interests.  Warburg  was  interested  
in  the  circulation  of  ideas  across  time  and  space,  and  in  the  transition  
from  primitive  to  contemporary  humanity.  Thus,  in  his  Library  books  
are   organized   chronologically   and   topographically,   rather   than   in  


                                                                                              7  
Emanuela  Patti  –  François  Quiviger,  New  Technologies  of  Memory  and   Reconfiguration   of  Space  
at   the  Warburg   Library  


alphabetical   order.   This   means   that   browsing   the   shelves   amounts   to  
browsing   the   development   and   changes   in   most   disciplines   from  
Antiquity  to  modern  times  across  time  but  also  across  space.  In  the  art  
historical  sections,  for  instance,  books  are  arranged  by  countries  –  Italy,  
France,  Spain,  etc.  –  but  within  each  country  the  sequence  is  based  on  
the   date   of   death   of   the   artists.   Very   much   in   the   same   spirit   of  
understanding  how  the  passage  of  time  has  affected  the  slow  transition  
from   early   systems   of   beliefs   to   present-­‐‑day   science,   modern  
disciplines  are  placed  next  to  their  pre-­‐‑modern  ancestors.  Alchemy,  for  
example,  features  next  to  Chemistry;  Magic  is  the  neighbour  of  Natural  
Science   and   Astrology   leans   against   astronomy.   The   section   on  
mathematics   includes   Euclid   but   also   texts   on   magic   square,   magic  
numbers  and  mathematical  games.5  
       At   a   broader   level,   the   classification   encapsulates   the   aim   of   the  
Library:   to   represent   the   tenacity   of   symbols   and   images   in   European  
art  and  architecture  (Image  section,  1st  floor);  the  persistence  of  motifs  
and   forms   in   Western   languages   and   literatures   (Word   section,   2nd  
floor);  the  gradual  transition,  in  Western  thought,  from  magical  beliefs  
to   religion,   science   and   philosophy   (Orientation   section,   3rd   and   4th  
floor)  and  the  survival  and  transformation  of  ancient  patterns  in  social  
customs   and   political   institutions   (Action   section,   4th   floor).   In   other  
words  the  Library  was  organized  to  lead  from  the  visual  image,  as  the  
first  stage  in  human'ʹs  awareness  (Image),  to  language  (Word)  and  then  
to  religion,  science  and  philosophy,  all  of  them  products  of  humanity'ʹs  
search   for   Orientation   which   influences   patterns   of   behaviour   and  
actions,   the   subject   matter   of   history   (Action).   This   system   can   be  
browsed  in  a  linear  way,  but,  as  we  shall  see  below,  it  can  also  be  used  
transversally.    
       This   unusual   classification   system   was   established   by   Aby  
Warburg   himself   and   his   assistant   Fritz   Saxl   –   later   extended   and  
reorganized  by  three  generations  of  scholar  librarians  –  following  what  
has   been   described   by   Saxl   as   the   «good   neighbour   law»   (Gombrich  
                                                                                                 
                   5
                        See   http://warburg.sas.ac.uk/Library/maps/orientation-­‐‑3rd-­‐‑4th-­‐‑floor/  
#c1008  (last  accessed  7  May  2015).  


8  
                                             Between,  vol.  IV,  n.  8  (Novembre/November  2014)  



1986:   327).   Kurt   Forster,   in   his   introduction   to   the   1999   translation   of  
Warburg'ʹs  collected  works,  has  defined  this  as  the  method  «to  display  
the   contents   of   the   collective   memory   archive   in   a   systematic   spatial  
arrangement»   (Forster   1999:   52).   As   a   consequence,   his   classification  
system   was   organized   in   patterns   recognition   based   on   conceptual  
interconnections   and   cultural   convergence   that   he   frequently  
rearranged.   As   Ernst   H.   Gombrich   clarifies   in   his   Aby   Warburg:   An  
Intellectual   Biography   (1986),   for   Warburg   books   were   more   than  
instruments   of   research.   Assembled   and   grouped,   they   expressed   the  
thought   of   mankind   in   its   constant   and   its   changing   aspects.   On   the  
other   hand,   this   classification   was   thought   to   allow   researchers   to  
move  freely  in  the  space  of  the  Library,  following,  in  Bergsonian  terms,  
their   intuition   as   a   "ʺtrue   method"ʺ.   Thus,   in   this   sort   of   three-­‐‑
dimensional   experience   of   the   Library,   such   associations   were  
supposed   to   lead   each   reader   to   multiple,   and   different,   signifying  
practices,  intuitive  associations  and  experimental  patterns.    
        The   arrangement   of   the   books   makes   even   daily   movements  
significant.  Crossing  sections  of  the  Library  to  reach  another  part  of  the  
building   is   in   itself   an   intellectual   flight   across   entire   provinces   of  
cultural  history.  The  fact  that  large  size  or  oversized  books  are  shelved  
along   the   main   passageways   emphasizes   this   phenomenon.   These,  
with   their   broad   spines   of   various   materials   and   color,   provide   a  
summary   of   the   contents   of   each   floor.   Walking   to   the   photographic  
archive,  located  at  the  opposite  side  of  the  building,  cuts  across  an  alley  
bordered   by   spines   synthesizing   twenty   centuries   of   European   art.  
Anyone  wishing  to  reach  the  staff,  fellows  and  students  rooms  on  the  
2nd   floor   will   be   greeted   on   the   left   by   in-­‐‑folio   witnesses   of   Western  
literature   from   Homer   to   Dante,   Petrarch,   Boccaccio,   Erasmus,  
Shakespeare   and   Goethe   followed   by   mythological   compendia,   and  
samples   of   the   section   on   pictorial   symbols   –   including   Renaissance  
hieroglyphics,   emblems,   heraldic   devices,   coins,   medals,   post   stamps,  
printer   devices   and   ex-­‐‑libris   –   all   carriers   of   texts   and   images   across  
time.   On   the   right-­‐‑hand   side   large   size   books   summarize   the   last  
sequence   of   the   floor   surveying   the   history   of   the   transmission   of  
knowledge  from  encyclopaedias  to  world  chronicles,  expanding  to  the  


                                                                                                  9  
Emanuela  Patti  –  François  Quiviger,  New  Technologies  of  Memory  and   Reconfiguration   of  Space  
at   the  Warburg   Library  


history   of   the   book,   of   libraries,   of   education,   from   school   to  
Universities,   and   finally   of   travels   and   cultural   exchanges.   Whoever  
needs  to  reach  the  office  of  the  Director  and  the  Secretariat  must  pass  
through   the   history   of   religions,   theology   and   philosophy.   On   the   4th  
floor   the   accounts   of   festivals,   magic,   science   and   political   history  
border   the   path   leading   to   the   archive.   Thus,   when   applied   to   the  
paper   media   the   Warburg   classification   transforms   even   a   short   walk  
into  a  flight  over  cultural  history.    
      As  the  opening  quote  of  this  section  suggests,  Warburg'ʹs  concept  
of   Kulturwissenschaft   –   implied   in   the   notion   of   "ʺgood   neighbour"ʺ   for  
books   and   images   and   then   reflected,   at   a   macro   level,   in   the   cultural  
space   of   the   Library   –   presents   a   number   of   similarities   with   Deleuze  
and   Guattari'ʹs   "ʺrhizomatic   model"ʺ   of   culture.   As   we   can   read   in   A  
Thousand  Plateaus:  Capitalism  and  Schizofrenia:  

           In   contrast   to   centered   systems   with   hierarchical   modes   of  
       communication   and   pre-­‐‑established   paths,   the   rhizome   is   an  
       acentered,   nonhierarchical,   nonsignifying   system   without   a  
       General  and  without  an  organizing  memory  or  central  automaton,  
       defined   solely   by   a   circulation   of   states.   Distinct   from   a   tree  
       topology   and   its   individual   branches,   the   rhizome   connects   any  
       point   to   any   other   point,   in   a   transverse   and   autonomous   way,  
       allowing  for  a  flexible  network  of  intercommunicability  to  emerge.  
       The   rhizome   pertains   to   a   map   that   must   be   produced,  
       constructed,   a   map   that   is   always   detachable,   connectable,  
       reversible,   modifiable,   and   has   multiple   entryways   and   exits   and  
       its   own   lines   of   flight.   The   rhizome   operates   by   variations,  
       expansion,   conquest,   capture,   offshoots.   …unlike   tracings,   the  
       rhizome   pertains   to   a   map   that   must   be   produced,   constructed.  
       (Deleuze  -­‐‑  Guattari  1987:  21)  

     The   map-­‐‑rhizome,   then,   best   represents   cultural   history   as   a  
network   of   complex   interconnections   within   cultural   production.  
Indeed,   map   formats   do   not   aim   to   create   closed   and   exhausting  
systems   of   knowledge,   but   they   rather   intend   to   expose   significant  
interconnections  between  heterogeneous  cultural  materials.  Hence,  as  a  


10  
                                           Between,  vol.  IV,  n.  8  (Novembre/November  2014)  



model   for   culture,   the   rhizome   resists   the   organizational   linear  
structure   of   the   root-­‐‑tree   system   and   ceaselessly   establishes  
connections   between   semiotic   chains.   The   erratic   and   problematic  
nature   of   these   associations   is   therefore   left   open   to   continuous  
reconfiguration.  
      Various   scholars   have   explored   the   matrix   of   the   rhizomatic  
model  in  Warburg'ʹs  approach  to  culture  (see,  for  example,  O'ʹ  Sullivan  
2006),   but   particularly   significant   is   Georges   Didi-­‐‑Huberman'ʹs  
extensive   work   on   Warburg'ʹs   concept   of   "ʺatlas"ʺ.   As   it   emerges  
especially  in  Atlas,  ou,  Le  gai  savoir  inquiet  (2011),  this  notion  is  used  to  
signify   a   form   of   knowledge,   or   we   should   rather   say,   an   idea   of  
cultural  history.  The  "ʺatlas"ʺ,  which  here  indicates  both  the  knowledge  
process  and  the  representation  of  knowledge,  does  not  have  a  definite  
form.   Even   if   its   montage   suggests   some   significant   associations,   it  
allows   multiple   entries.   In   other   words,   it   disrupts   rational   models   of  
intelligibility   based   on   the   relationship   between   things   (Sachen)   and  
causes  (Ursachen),  opening  up  possibilities  to  explore  what  is  left  out  of  
these   equations.   By   challenging   "ʺepistemic   purity"ʺ,   the   "ʺatlas"ʺ  
introduces  the  multiplicity,  difference,  and  hybridity  of  the  montage  in  
the  knowledge  process  (Didi-­‐‑Huberman  2011).  It  deconstructs  ideas,  as  
well   as   ideals   of   uniqueness,   specificity,   purity,   and   integral  
knowledge.   These   thoughts   are   well   exemplified   by   the   French   art  
historian  in  his  introduction  to  the  exhibition  Atlas  (2011)  at  the  Museo  
Nacional   Centro   de   Arte   Reina   Sofia   in   Madrid.   Here   Warburg'ʹs  
concept   of   "ʺatlas"ʺ   is   intended   as   a   visual   and   synoptic   form   of  
knowledge   which   implied   constant   reconfiguration   of   its   "ʺnarrative  
space"ʺ,  following  new  analogies,  new  trajectories  of  thought.    
      The   rhizomatic   model   implicit   in   Warburg'ʹs   concept   of   cultural  
history   finds   today   one   of   its   best   expression   in   the   hypertext,   «the  
largest   rhizomatic   system   ever   created   by   man»   (Lima   2001:   44).   As   a  
hyper-­‐‑structured   text   with   hyperlinks   or   other   structures   embedded  
inside  a  page,  the  hypertext  overcomes  the  previous  linear  constraints  
and   logics   of   written   texts.   It   allows   multiple   connections   between  
media   texts,   therefore   creating   a   «flexible   network   of  
intercommunicability   to   emerge»   (Deleuze   -­‐‑   Guattari   1987:   21).  


                                                                                              11  
Emanuela  Patti  –  François  Quiviger,  New  Technologies  of  Memory  and   Reconfiguration   of  Space  
at   the  Warburg   Library  


Connecting   materials,   or   data,   is,   however,   not   the   answer.  
Understanding   how   to   best   use   the   Web   to   create   links   between   data  
from   different   sources   is   the   one,   and   this   is   precisely   the   purpose   of  
Linked  Data  and  of  the  semantic  web.  How  to  visualize  them  is  then  the  
objective  of  visualization  methods.    
       In   the   actual   digital   resources   of   the   Warburg   Institute   the  
possibilities   offered   by   Linked   Data   and   visualization   have   only   been  
partly   explored.   For   example,   in   order   to   illustrate   the   variety   of  
materials  which  can  be  gathered  around  a  theme,  the  Warburg  Library  
website  proposes  short  guides  to  the  collections,  derived  from  displays  
exploring  topics  such  as  the  perceptual  category  of  colour,  the  concept  
of   self   and   the   expressive   theme   of   laughter.6   Preparing   small-­‐‑scale  
displays  is  also  part  of  the  duties  of  librarians.  One  of  the  most  recent  
projects   is   Laughter,   a   display   of   laughing   matters   following   the  
classification   of   the   Warburg   Library   (22   July-­‐‑30   September   2014).7  
However,   these   displays   target   the   more   specific   purpose   of   showing  
how  intersecting  a  specific  theme  with  Warburg'ʹs  classification  system  
amounts  to  revealing  the  main  outlines  of  its  multidisciplinary  cultural  
histories.  While  setting  up  guides  around  broad  themes  is  a  relatively  
straightforward   matter,   things   get   a   little   more   complicated   when  
focusing   on   the   presence   of   mythological   figures   in   the   Library  
classification.   Here   we   encounter   far   more   possibilities   of   multi-­‐‑
layering   and   cross-­‐‑linking.   In   the   next   section,   we   will   then   explore  
how   this   could   be   achieved   in   a   more   extended   way,   focusing   on   the  
case  study  of  Venus.    




                                                                                                 
                   6
                       http://warburg.sas.ac.uk/Library/guides/  (last  accessed  7  May  2015).  
                   7
                       http://warburg.sas.ac.uk/library/guides/laughter/  (last  accessed  7  May  
2015).  


12  
                                            Between,  vol.  IV,  n.  8  (Novembre/November  2014)  




                             "ʺLinking  Venus"ʺ  
                    Remapping  the  "ʺnarrative  space"ʺ  
                         of  the  Warburg  Library    
       The   "ʺLinking   Venus"ʺ   project   had   two   initial   objectives:   first,  
linking   relevant   data   on   the   figure   of   Venus   existing   in   the   Warburg  
Institute   Library,   including   the   Iconographic   Collection;   second,  
providing   a   visual   mapping   of   such   connections   or,   more   precisely,   a  
remapping  of  the  classification  originally  conceived  by  Warburg  in  the  
physical   space   of   the   Library.   In   general   terms,   the   visualization  
method   follows   two   steps:   first,   collecting   the   data   and   then,   figuring  
out   the   best   way   to   display   these   data   so   that   the   relationships   and  
patterns   in   it   may   become   visible   (Manovich   2012).   In   this   section   we  
will  invert  this  order  and  show  first  the  visual  mapping  that  has  been  
created   to   provide   a   sort   of   "ʺdistant   reading"ʺ   (Moretti   2013)   of   the  
variety   of   manifestations   of   Venus   in   European   cultural   history,   as  
revealed  by  the  Warburg  classification  system.  From  prehistoric  female  
figurines   later   named   'ʹVenus'ʹ   by   scholars   to   Polanski'ʹs   evocation   of  
Venus   in   Fur,   this   mythological   figure   has   been   the   carrier   of   Western  
thought  on  love  and  desire.    
       At   a   practical   level   we   are   dealing   with   three   interlinked   layers:  
the   iconographic   tradition   –   here   based   on   a   corpus   of   over   three  
thousand   images   accessible   in   the   Warburg   Iconographic   database;  
Venus   as   a   mythological   figure   in   the   different   subject   areas   of   the  
Library;  and  the  attributes  of  Venus  in  the  Library  classification.    
       The  three  layers  have  been  represented  as  in  the  graphic  below:8  
         
         
         
         
         

                                                                                                 
                   8
                       For   a   high-­‐‑resolution   version   see   http://warburg.sas.ac.uk/  
mnemosyne/Venus_kbw.pdf  (last  accessed  7  May  2015),  p.  1.  


                                                                                               13  
Emanuela  Patti  –  François  Quiviger,  New  Technologies  of  Memory  and   Reconfiguration   of  Space  
at   the  Warburg   Library  


          
          




                                                                                                                
       The   iconographic   tradition   can   be   examined   online   in   the  
iconographic   database   of   the   Warburg   Institute,   the   digital   version   of  
the   collection   of   photographs   initially   assembled   by   Warburg   and  
expanded  by  several  generations  of  curators.9    
       At   the   time   of   writing   the   open   access   database   holds   over   3300  
images   of   Venus,   encompassing   the   entire   visual   tradition   from  
antiquity   to   the   present.   These   images   are   arranged   by   iconographic  
types,  but  can  also  be  examined  chronologically  by  means  of  a  simple  
keyword  search.    
       As  for  Venus  in  the  Warburg  Library,  the  graphic  above  sets  side  
by   side   the   typological   organisation   of   the   iconographic   database   and  
the  Library  classification.  The  latter  is  represented  as  a  giant  pavement  
featuring   the   principal   sections   containing   material   related   to   Venus.  
Bordering  the  outer  circle  are  the  attributes  of  Venus  that  in  turn  link  to  
further   sections   of   the   Library.   We   can   now   briefly   examine   the  
presence  of  Venus  in  the  Library.  
         




                                                                                                 
                   9
                                                 http://warburg.sas.ac.uk/photographic-­‐‑collection/iconographic-­‐‑
database/  (last  accessed  7  May  2015).  


14  
                                              Between,  vol.  IV,  n.  8  (Novembre/November  2014)  



IMAGE  
Ancient  to  Modern  Art  (1st  floor)10  




                                                                                                    
Plate  1  

       The  first  section  of  the  Library  merely  backs  up  the  iconographic  
tradition   by   means   of   books   and   essays   related   to   representations   of  
Venus  from  pre-­‐‑historical  figurines  to  the  Greek  Aphrodite,  the  Roman  
Venus   and   its   early   modern   adaptations   in   European   arts.   These  
include   effigies   of   Venus   in   sections   such   as   Classical   Iconography,  
Survival  of  Classical  art  –  including  Medals,  Coins,  Cameos,  Oil  lamps,  
Sculpture,  and  Architecture.  Artistic  education  from  the  Renaissance  to  
the   19th   century   was   based   on   the   study   of   antique   sculpture.   Thus  
images   of   Venus   were   considered   models   of   feminine   beauty,   and  
feature  in  didactic  literature  addressed  to  aspiring  artists.    
                                                                                                 
                   10
                           For   a   high-­‐‑resolution   version   see   http://warburg.sas.ac.uk/  
mnemosyne/Venus_kbw.pdf  (last  accessed  7  May  2015),  p.  2.  Captions  see  at  
the  end  of  this  article.  


                                                                                                 15  
Emanuela  Patti  –  François  Quiviger,  New  Technologies  of  Memory  and   Reconfiguration   of  Space  
at   the  Warburg   Library  


  
WORD  
Language,  Literature,  Survival  of  Classical  Literature  (2nd  floor)11  




                                                                                                                
Plate  2  

       The  Image  section,  on  the  first  floor  of  the  Library,  deals  with  the  
history  of  the  representation  of  Venus.  On  the  second  floor,  the  section  
entitled   Word,   provides   an   overview   of   Venus   in   Classical   and   post-­‐‑
Classical   literature.   These   include   a   large   collection   of   early   modern  
illustrated   editions   of   classical   texts   –   in   particular   Ovid'ʹs  
Metamorphoses.   Furthermore,   a   collection   of   mythological   dictionaries,  
compiling  the  principal  texts  from  the  antiquity  to  the  present,  opens  a  
large   section   on   the   circulation   of   classical   themes   and   legends   in   the  
Middle   Ages   and   the   Renaissance.   In   the   following   section,   Pictorial  
Symbols,   Venus   is   not   only   a   character   and   a   mythological   figure   but  
also   a   symbol   of   love   and   lust   featuring   in   early   modern   emblems,  
                                                                                                 
                   11
                           For   a   high-­‐‑resolution   version   see   http://warburg.sas.ac.uk/  
mnemosyne/Venus_kbw.pdf,  (last  access  7  May  2015),  p.  4.  


16  
                                              Between,  vol.  IV,  n.  8  (Novembre/November  2014)  



proverbs,   printer   devices,   ex-­‐‑libris   and   even   postal   stamps.   The   last  
section   of   this   floor   documents   the   history   and   transmission   of  
knowledge,   including   Encyclopaedias   and   World   Chronicles,   where  
according   to   the   euhemerist   tradition   Venus   is   characterized   as   an  
ancient  deified  queen.    
       
ORIENTATION  
Religion,  Science,  Philosophy  (3rd  and  4th  floor)12  




                                                                                                      
Plate  3  

       This  section  unveils  the  transformation  of  Venus  from  Religion  to  
Philosophy.   The   section   on   the   Religions   of   the   Graeco-­‐‑Roman   world  
deals  with  her  various  cults.  In  philosophy  she  features  in  many  texts,  
from   the   opening   lines   of   Lucretius'ʹ   De   rerum   natura   to   Platonic   and  
Neo-­‐‑Platonic  discussions  of  love  by  Renaissance  philosophers  such  as  
                                                                                                 
                   12
                           For   a   high-­‐‑resolution   version   see   http://warburg.sas.ac.uk/  
mnemosyne/Venus_kbw.pdf,  (last  accessed  7  May  2015),  p.  5.  


                                                                                                 17  
Emanuela  Patti  –  François  Quiviger,  New  Technologies  of  Memory  and   Reconfiguration   of  Space  
at   the  Warburg   Library  


Marsilio   Ficino   and   Leone   Ebreo.   Christians   kept   the   Pagan   names   of  
planets,  and  consequently  preserved  the  appearance  of  ancient  gods  in  
the   pre-­‐‑modern   sky.   Thus   Astrology   is   the   main   channel   through  
which  Venus  survived  the  transition  from  the  ancient  to  the  medieval  
world.   Here   she   features   as   one   of   the   seven   planets   in   astrological  
literature   and   also   in   calendars,   almanacs   and   even   booklets   on   the  
Children  of  Planets  that  describe  the  characteristics  of  those  born  under  
her   sign.   In   the   section   on   Magic   Venus   can   be   seen   on   talismans,  
namely  images  intended  to  channel  her  planetary  energy  on  propitious  
days.  She  is  also  the  energy  that  binds  metals  in  Alchemy.  Geography  
discusses   her   birthplace   as   Cyprus;   Medicine   associates   her   name   to  
sexually   contracted   diseases   and   uses   her   features   for   anatomical  
models.  Even  the  mapping  of  the  hand  in  chiromancy  includes  a  finger  
of  Venus  (the  small  finger)  –  and  a  mount  of  Venus.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  




18  
                                              Between,  vol.  IV,  n.  8  (Novembre/November  2014)  



ACTION  
Social  and  Political  History  (4th  floor)  13  




                                                                                                          
Plate  4  

       In   this   part   of   the   Library   we   encounter   Venus   in   Literature   on  
Women,   as   an   ideal,   a   model   or   a   point   of   reference   in   matters   of  
seduction,   sex,   marital   life   and   prostitution.   The   section   on   Music  
includes   theoretical   elaborations   on   the   harmony   of   the   spheres   –   of  
which   Venus   is   one   –   as   well   as   opera   libretti   setting   the   goddess   on  
the   stage.   Similarly,   in   the   section   on   festivals   and   festive   culture,  
Venus   is   a   familiar   presence   in   pageants   and   banquets   celebrating  
dynastic   weddings.   Sometimes   humans   play   her   role,   other   times   she  
features  as  a  statue  of  papier  maché,  wood  or  cast  sugar.  The  last  section,  
political   history,   might   not   at   first   seem   particularly   relevant   to   our  
                                                                                                 
                   13
                           For   a   high-­‐‑resolution   version   see   http://warburg.sas.ac.uk/  
mnemosyne/Venus_kbw.pdf,  (last  accessed  7  May  2015),  p.  6.  


                                                                                                 19  
Emanuela  Patti  –  François  Quiviger,  New  Technologies  of  Memory  and   Reconfiguration   of  Space  
at   the  Warburg   Library  


theme,  if  not  that  most  European  dynasties  had  their  ancestors  retraced  
to  the  legend  of  Troy.  Venus  is  in  fact  central  to  Roman  history,  as  she  
is  the  mother  of  Aeneas,  the  mythical  founder  of  Rome.  
  

More  links  

       This   combinatory   exercise,   between   one   mythological   figure   and  
the  various  disciplines  represented  in  the  Library  rises  exponentially  if  
we   extend   it   to   the   multiple   attributes   of   Venus.   The   principal   are:  
apple,  arms,  arrow,  balance,  bow  and  arrows,  burning  heart,  Cerberus,  
dog,   dolphin,   doves,   eagle,   fertility   symbols,   flowers,   frog,   girdle  
(Venus   Kestophoros),   goat   (Venus   Epitragia),   heart,   jewellery,   lion,  
mirror,  mussel,  myrtle,  olive  branch,  partridge,  robe  with  mythological  
scenes  (Venus  of  Aphrodisias),  sea  monster,  shell,  ship,  swan,  symbols  
of   Isis   (Aphrodite-­‐‑Isis),   torch,   tortoise,   veil,   vine-­‐‑leaves   and   poppy,  
wings.   Each   attribute   can   be   linked   to   further   sections   of   the   Library.  
For  example,  the  rose  is  an  attribute  of  Venus  but  also  of  her  antithesis,  
the  Virgin  Mary.  It  features  in  many  sections  of  the  Library,  from  Still-­‐‑
Life   to   Literature,   Emblems,   Botany,   Perfumery,   Gardening,  
Banqueting   and   Festivals,   to   list   the   most   obvious.   The   potential   for  
visualising   intersections   between   one   subject   and   another   are  
considerable.  
       As  it  stands,  the  project  has  allowed  a  basic  rapid  visualization  –  
namely   a   "ʺdistant   reading"ʺ   (Moretti   2013)   –   of   all   the   textual   and  
iconographical   resources   on   Venus   available   at   the   Warburg   Library.  
This  could  be  replicated  for  other  themes,  but  it  could  also  be  used  at  
an   even   more   sophisticated   level   to   compare   texts   and   images,   to  
project   time   into   space,   to   visualize   temporal   changes.   Basically,   it  
could  extend  Warburg'ʹs  method  of  work  beyond  the  limits  of  the  paper  
format.  Creating  links  between  cultural  artefacts  is  just  the  first  step  to  
make   the   semantic   interconnections   between   all   these   resources  
"ʺvisible"ʺ;   it   is   the   way   to   translate   them   into   data   that   could  
enormously   increase   the   possibilities   to   explore   patterns.   This   is  
usually   the   job   of   a   visualization   designer;   however,   the   input   of   the  



20  
                                           Between,  vol.  IV,  n.  8  (Novembre/November  2014)  



humanities   scholar   is   crucial   to   understand   how   to   do   it,   precisely  
because  it  is  in  fact  a  translation  of  media  texts/artefacts  such  as  books,  
photographs,  films,  cartoons,  visual  arts,  films,  etc.  into  significant  data  
that   capture   their   content,   form   and   use.   Techniques   of   visualization  
are  not  standardized  and  in  many  cases  they  have  to  be  invented  and  
theorized.  Hence,  the  first  question  to  be  answered  is,  which  "ʺdata"ʺ  are  
relevant  in  the  case  of  the  cultural  artefacts  of  the  Warburg  Library?    


                         Conclusion:  what'ʹs  next?  
       There   are   still   numerous   questions   to   be   answered.   They   mainly  
concern   the   practical   ways   in   which   to   translate   Warburg'ʹs   idea   of  
cultural   history   into   techniques   of   visualization.   The   arrangement   of  
the   sections   of   the   Warburg   Library   certainly   encourages   intuitive  
connections   between   fields   of   knowledge.   It   also   lends   itself   to  
combinatory   exercises,   as   illustrated   above,   revealing   the   presence   of  
ideas   and   themes   in   Western   cultural   history.   This   approach   is  
particularly   compatible   with   the   direction   currently   taken   by   digital  
humanities  under  the  impulse  of  the  semantic  web  –  and  in  particular  
of   Linked   Data.   Each   element,   such   as   an   individual,   or   in   the   case  
study  described  a  mythological  figure,  is  represented  by  its  "ʺattributes"ʺ  
–  also  called  "ʺproperties"ʺ  or  "ʺfeatures"ʺ.  Each  attribute  corresponds  to  a  
tag   that   can   be   connected   to   similar   tags.   Applying   these   methods   to  
the  growing  electronic  resources  of  the  Warburg  collections  is  the  plan  
of  the  forthcoming  years  and  amounts  to  setting  up  the  infrastructure  
for  a  transdisciplinary  mapping  of  knowledge.  
       Unlike  the  Mnemosyne  Atlas,  which  is  the  outcome  of  a  selection  of  
images,  the  Library  provides  raw  material  organised  thematically  and  
chronologically   across   categories   expressing   Warburg'ʹs   ambition   of  
setting   up   a   "ʺhistorical   psychology   of   Humanity"ʺ   (Gombrich   1986).  
This   can   set   the   groundwork   for   mapping   the   multiple   paths   of  
Western  cultural  history.  The  foundations  are  there  since  the  contents  
of   the   Library   is   of   course   accessible   through   the   indispensable  
standard  facilities  of  an  electronic  catalogue.  Yet  a  next  step  would  be  



                                                                                              21  
Emanuela  Patti  –  François  Quiviger,  New  Technologies  of  Memory  and   Reconfiguration   of  Space  
at   the  Warburg   Library  


to   visualise   all   these   data   through   the   Library   and   the   iconographic  
database  classification.  
       Linked   Data   currently   serves   fields   such   as   economics,   politics,  
science,   social   life   and   social   media.   It   applies   to   human   activities  
producing  data  to  be  analysed  without  the  aid  of  computers.  Adapting  
these   models   to   the   Warburg   classification   system   in   order   to   display  
big  cultural  data  amounts,  in  computing  terms,  to  setting  up  the  means  
by  which  the  result  of  any  search  on  a  given  theme,  subject  or  person,  
would   produce   and   display   a   map   of   its   cultural   history   across  
disciplines  and  across  media.    
       Finally,   by   exposing   links   and   relations   between   things,   beings  
and   ideas   across   time   and   space   Warburg'ʹs   classification   is   in   itself   a  
research  tool  that  encourages  researchers  to  work  in  a  transdiciplinary  
way.  14  By  encouraging  a  networking  model  of  physical,  emotional  and  
conceptual   exploration   of   the   books,   the   organization   of   Warburg'ʹs  
Library   clearly   challenged   standardized   disciplinary   boundaries.  
Warburg   was   in   fact   interested   in   the   history   of   culture,   in   its  
psychological   and   social   contexts,   and   in   their   respective   impact   on  
artists  and  on  the  development  of  styles.  Similarly,  his  atlas  model  was  
not   made   for   definitely   classifying,   for   exhaustingly   making   an  
inventory,   or   for   cataloguing   once   and   for   all   as   in   an   archive,   but  
instead   for   gathering   segments,   or   parcelling   out   the   world,   while  
respecting   its   multiplicity   and   its   heterogeneity,   and   for   giving   a  
legibility   to   the   underlying   relations   (Didi-­‐‑Huberman   2011).   Indeed,  
cultural   history,   including   all   histories   of   art,   is   an   anthology   of  
samples   that,   over   the   years,   have   become   emblematic   of   their   time.  
Applying   computing   tools   to   the   analysis   of   large   quantities   of   texts  


                                                                                                 
                   14
                          As  Basarab  Nicolescu  highlights  in  the  introduction  to  his  Manifesto  of  
Transdisciplinarity   (2002),   transdisciplinarity   (across   and   beyond   all  
disciplines)   is   in   fact   different   from   both   "ʺinterdisciplinarity"ʺ   (applying  
the   methods   from   one   discipline   to   another)   and   "ʺmultidisciplinarity"ʺ  
(teams   from   various   disciplines   combining   to   investigate   a   research  
question)  (Nicolescu  2002:  1).    


22  
                                             Between,  vol.  IV,  n.  8  (Novembre/November  2014)  



and   images   may   allow   more   patterning,   more   contextualisation   and  
provide  more  ground  to  assert  broad  ideas.  



                                      Works  cited  
Bizer,   Christian   -­‐‑   Heath,   Tom   -­‐‑   Berners-­‐‑Lee,   Tim,   "ʺLinked   Data:   the  
      story  so  far"ʺ,  Semantic  Services,  Interoperability  and  Web  Applications:  
      Emerging   Concepts,   Eds.   Amit   Shet,   Hershey,   PA,   Information  
      Science  Reference,  2011:  205-­‐‑227.  
Borgman,   Christine   L.,   Scholarship   in   the   Digital   Age:   Information,  
      Infrastructure,  and  the  Internet,  Cambridge,  The  MIT  Press,  2007.  
Deleuze,  Gilles,  Bergsonism,  New  York,  Zone  Books,  1991.  
Deleuze,   Gilles   -­‐‑   Guattari,   Felix,   A   Thousand   Plateaus:   Capitalism   and  
      Schizophrenia,  Minneapolis,  University  of  Minnesota  Press,  1987.  
Didi-­‐‑Huberman,   Georges,   "ʺSampling   Chaos.   Aby   Warburg   and   the  
      Photographic   Atlas   of   the   Great   War"ʺ,   Études   Photographiques,   27  
      (2011):  49-­‐‑73.  
Id.,  Atlas,  ou,  Le  gai  savoir  inquiet,  Paris,  Minuit,  2011.  
Didi-­‐‑Huberman,  Georges  -­‐‑   Michaud,  Philippe-­‐‑Alain,  Aby  Warburg  and  
      the  Image  in  Motion,  Cambridge,  The  MIT  Press,  2007.  
Id.,   "ʺL'ʹimage   survivante.   Aby   Warburg   et   l'ʹanthropologie   tylorienne"ʺ,  
      L'ʹInactuel.  Psychanalyse  et  Culture,  3  (1999):  39-­‐‑59.  
Forster,   Kurt   W.,   "ʺIntroduction"ʺ,   Aby   Warburg:   The   Renewal   of   Pagan  
      Antiquity,  Los  Angeles,  The  Getty  Research  Institute,  1999:  1-­‐‑75.  
Gombrich,   Ernst   H.,   Aby   Warburg:   An   Intellectual   Biography,   London,  
      Phaidon  Press,  1986.  
Johnson,  Christopher  D.,  Memory,  Metaphor  and  Aby  Warburg'ʹs  Atlas  of  
      Images,  New  York,  Cornell  University  Press,  2012.  
Kinder,  Marsha  -­‐‑   McPherson,  Tara,  Transmedia  Frictions.  The  Digital,  the  
      Arts   and   the   Humanities,   Oakland,   University   of   California   Press,  
      2014.  
Lima,  Manuel,  Visual  Complexity:  Mapping  Patterns  of  Information,  New  
      York,  Princeton  Architectural  Press,  2011.  



                                                                                                23  
Emanuela  Patti  –  François  Quiviger,  New  Technologies  of  Memory  and   Reconfiguration   of  Space  
at   the  Warburg   Library  


Manovich,  Lev,  "ʺMuseum  without  Walls,  Art  History  Without  Names:  
      Visualization  Methods  for  Humanities  and  Media  Studies"ʺ,  Oxford  
      Handbook  of  Sound  and  Image  in  Digital  Media,  Eds.  Carol  Vernalis  -­‐‑  
      Amy  Herzog  -­‐‑   John  Richardson,  Oxford,  Oxford  University  Press,  
      2013:  253-­‐‑278.  
Manovich,   Lev,   "ʺWhat   is   visualization?"ʺ,   Visual   Studies,   26.1   (2011):   36-­‐‑
      49.  
Manovich,   Lev   -­‐‑   Douglass,   Jeremy,   "ʺVisualizing   Temporal   Patterns   in  
      Visual   Media"ʺ,   2009,   http://manovich.net/index.php/projects/  
      article-­‐‑2009.  
Manovich,  Lev  -­‐‑   Douglass,  Jeremy  -­‐‑   Zepel,  Tara,  "ʺHow  to  Compare  One  
      Million   Images?"ʺ,   Understanding   Digital   Humanities,   Ed.   David  
      Berry,  Palgrave  Macmillan,  2012:  249-­‐‑278.  
Michaud,   Philippe-­‐‑Alain,   Aby   Warburg   and   the   Image   in   Motion,   New  
      York,  Urzone,  2004.    
Moretti,  Franco,  Distant  Reading,  London,  Verso,  2013.  
Nicolescu,   Basarab,   Manifesto   of   Transdisciplinarity,   New   York,   State  
      University  of  New  York  Press,  2002.  
Nicolescu,   Basarab,   Transdisciplinarity:   Theory   and   Practice,   New   York,  
      Hampton  Press,  2008.  
O'ʹ  Sullivan,  Simon,  Art  Encounters  Deleuze  and  Guattari:  Thought  beyond  
      Representation,  New  York,  Palgrave  Macmillan,  2006.  
Spinelli,   Italo   -­‐‑   Venuti,   Roberto,   Mnemosyne.   L'ʹAtlante   della   memoria   di  
      Aby  Warburg,  Roma,  Artemide  Edizione,  1998.  
Warburg,   Aby   -­‐‑   Forster,   Kurt,   Aby   Warburg:   The   Renewal   of   Pagan  
      Antiquity,  Los  Angeles,  The  Getty  Research  Institute,  1999.  



                                          Illustrations  
All  the  illustrations  come  from  digitized  books  of  the  Warburg  Library  
which   are   all   licensed   under   a   Creative   Commons   Attribution-­‐‑Non  
Commercial  3.0  Unported  License.    
  
Plate  1:  Venus  in  IMAGE:  


24  
                                            Between,  vol.  IV,  n.  8  (Novembre/November  2014)  



1.   Audran,   Gérard,   Des   Menschlichen   Leibes   Proportionen,   von   Denen  
        Vortrefflichsten   Und   Allerschönsten   Antichen   Genommen   Und   Mit  
        Fleiss  Abgemessen,  Nürnberg,  Johann  Jacob  von  Sandrarts,  1690.    
2-­‐‑3.  Picart,  Bernard,  Impostures  Innocentes:  Ou  Recueil  D'ʹestampes  D'ʹapres  
        Divers   Peintres   Illustres…,   Amsterdam,   Chez   la   Veuve   de   Bernard  
        Picart,  1734.    
4-­‐‑5.   Rossi,   Domenico   de,   Raccolta   Di   Statue   Antiche   E   Moderne   Data   in  
        Luce  Sotto  I  Gloriosi  Auspici  Della  Santità  Di  N.  S.  Papa  Clemente  XI,  
        Da  Domenico  de  Rossi,  Roma,  Stamperia  alla  Pace,  1704.    
6.   Reynst,   Gerard,   Signorum   Veterum   Icones   per   D.   Gerardum   Reynst  
        Urbis   Amstelaedami   Senatorum   Ac   Scabinum   Dum   Viveret  
        Dignissimumcollectae…,   Amstelodami,   Ex   officina   Nicolai   Visscher,  
        1671.    
7.   Beger,   Lorenz,   Spicilegium   Antiqvitatis,   Sive   Variarum   Ex   Antiquitate  
        Elegantiarum   Vel   Novis   Luminibus   Illustratarum   Vel   Recens   Etiam  
        Editarum   Fasciculi,   Coloniæ   Brandenburgicæ,   typis   V.   Liebperti,  
        1692.    
8.   Ortelius,   Abraham,   Deorum   Dearumque   Capita:   Ex   Antiquis  
        Numismatibus…,   Antverpiae,   exstant   in   Offician   Plantiniana,   apud  
        viduam&  filios  Io.  Moreti,  1612.    
9.   Vico,   Enea,   Ex   Gemmis   et   Cameis   Antiquorum   Aliquot   Monumenta…,  
        Rome,  Gio.  Giacomo  Rossi  le  stampa  alla  Pace  in  Roma  alli  insegna  
        di  Parigi,  1650.    
10.   Lauro,   Giacomo,   Splendore   Dell   Antica   E   Moderna   Roma…,   Roma,  
        Stamparia  d'ʹAndrea  Fei,  1641.    
11.   Campen,   Jacob   van,   Afbeelding   Van'ʹt   Stadt   Huys   van   Amsterdam,  
        Amsterdam,  Bij  Dancker  Danckerts,  1661.    
12.  Psyches  et  Amoris  nuptia  ac  fabula  a  Raphaele  Sanctio  Urbinate  Romae  in  
        Farnesianis   Hortis   Transtyberim   ad   veterum   aemulationem   ac   laudem  
        colorum  luminibus  expressa...,  Rome,  1693.  
  
Plate  2:  Venus  in  WORD:  
1.   Ovidio   [meta]morphoseos   Vulgare:   Novamente   Stampato   Diligentemente  
        Corretto   [et]   Historiato....,   nouamente   stampato   in   Venetia,   per  
        Georgio  de'ʹ  Rusconi,  1522.    


                                                                                               25  
Emanuela  Patti  –  François  Quiviger,  New  Technologies  of  Memory  and   Reconfiguration   of  Space  
at   the  Warburg   Library  


2-­‐‑3.   Bardi,   Francesco,   Ovidio,   Istorico,   Politico,   Morale:   Breuemente  
        Spiegato,e   Delineato   Con   Artificiose   Figure,   Accresciuta   Questa   Quinta  
        Impressione   Di   Nuoue   Allegorie,   Venetia,   Presso   Girolamo   Albrizzi,  
        1696.    
4.   Baur,   Joh   Wilhelm,   Bellissimum   Ovidii   Theatrum,   Norimbergæ,   P.  
        Fürstii,  1685.    
5.   Cartari,   Vincenzo,   Le   Vere   E   Nove   Imagini   de   Gli   Dei   Delli   Antichi   Di  
        Vicenzo  Cartari  Reggiano…,  Padoua,  P.  P.  Tozzi,  1615.    
6.   Bocchi,   Achille,   Achillis   Bocchii   Bonon.   Symbolicarum   Quaestionum,   de  
        Universo  Genere,  Quas  Serio  Ludebat,  Libri  Quinque,  Bononiae,  Apud  
        Societatem  Typographiæ  Bononiensis,  1574.    
7.   Maccio,   Paolo.   Emblemata   Cum   Priuilegijs,   Bononiæ,   Clemens  
        Ferronius  superiorum  permissuexcudebat,  1628.    
  
Plate  3:  Venus  in  ORIENTATION:  
1.   Leu,   Thomas   de,   -­‐‑   Henri   Le   Roy   (eds.),   Imagines   Septem   Planetarum,  
        Paris,  Thomas  de  Leu  excu,  1609.    
2.   Hyginus,   C.   Ivlii   Hygini,   Avgvsti   Liberti,   Fabvlarvm   Liber,   Basileae,  
        Apud  Ioan.  Hervagivm,  1535.    
3.   Abū   Maʻshar,   Albumasar   Flores   Astrologie,   Venetiis,   Impressum   per  
        Jo.  Baptistam  Sessa,  1503.    
4.   Hippocrates   -­‐‑   Joannes   Regiomontanus   (eds.),   Temporal   Des  
        Weitberümpten   M.   Johann   Künigspergers:   Natürlicher   Kunst   Der  
        Astronomei   Kurtzer   Begriff,   von   Natürlichem   Einfluss   Der   Gestirn,  
        Planeten,   Und   Zeichen,   &c.:   Von   Den   Vier   Complexionen,   Natur   Und  
        Eigenschafft   derMenschen,   Regiment   Durchs   Jar   Über,   Mit   Essen,  
        Schlaffen,   Baden,   Purgieren,   Aderlassen   &c.   Auffs   Ordenlichst  
        Zugericht,  Erfurdd,  Wolffgang  Sthürmer,  1534.    
5.   Capello,   Antonio,   Prodromus   Iconicus   Sculptilium   Gemmarum:  
        Basilidiani,   Amulectici,   Atque   Talismani   Generis,   Venetiis,   typis   H.  
        Albriccij,  1702.    
6.   Maier,   Michael,   Michaelis   Majeri   ...   Secretioris   Naturæ   Secretorum  
        Scrutinium  Chymicum  per  Oculis  et  Intellectui,  Francofurti,  Impensis  
        Georgii   Heinrici   Oehrlingii,   bibliopolae  ,   Typo   Johannis   Philippi  
        Andreae,  1687.    


26  
                                           Between,  vol.  IV,  n.  8  (Novembre/November  2014)  



7.  Spirito,  Lorenzo,  Libro  Delle  Sorti,  Mantova,  s.  n.,  1551.    
8.   Fanti,   Sigismondo,   Triompho   Di   Fortuna,   Venegia,   per   Agostino   da  
      Portese,  1526.    
  
Plate  4:  Venus  in  ACTION:  
1.   Nicquet,   Honorat,   R.P.   Honorati   Nicquetii   È   Societate   Iesu   Sacerdotis,  
      Theologi,   Physiognomia   Humana   Libris   IV   Distincta,   Editio   prima,  
      Lugduni,  Sumptib.  haered.  Petri  Prost,  Philippi  Borde,  &  Laurentii  
      Arnaud,  1648.    
2.   Gaffurius,   Franchinus,   Practica   Musice,   Brescia,   B.   Misinta   -­‐‑   A.  
      Britannico,  1502.  
3.   Cantagallina,   Remigio   -­‐‑   Giulio   Parigi   (eds.),   Battaglia   Navale  
      Rappresentata   sull'ʹArno   per   Le   Nozze   Del   Ser[enissi]mo   Principe   Di  
      Toscana,  MDCVIII,  Florence?,  s.n,  1608.    
4.  Gualterotti,  Raffaello,  Della  Descrizione  Del  Regale  Apparato  Fatto  Nella  
      Nobile  Città  Di  Firenze  per  La  Venuta,  E  per  Le  Nozze  Della  Serenissima  
      Madama   Cristina   Di   Loreno   Moglie   Del   Serenissimo   Don   Ferdinando  
      Medici   Terzo   Gran   Duca   Di   Toscana,   Firenze,   Appresso   Antonio  
      Padovani,  1589.  



                                     Sitography  
'ʹGods  and  Myths  in  the  Warburg  Institute'ʹ,  
     http://warburg.sas.ac.uk/gods-­‐‑myths/  
'ʹVenus'ʹ,  http://warburg.sas.ac.uk/mnemosyne/Venus_kbw.pdf  
'ʹOrientation,  3rd-­‐‑4th  floor'ʹ,  
     http://warburg.sas.ac.uk/Library/maps/orientation-­‐‑3rd-­‐‑4th-­‐‑  
     floor/#c1008  
'ʹLibrary  guides  at  the  Warburg  Institute'ʹ,  
     http://warburg.sas.ac.uk/Library/guides/  
'ʹLaughter  display  at  the  Warburg  Library'ʹ,  
     http://warburg.sas.ac.uk/library/guides/laughter/  




                                                                                              27  
Emanuela  Patti  –  François  Quiviger,  New  Technologies  of  Memory  and   Reconfiguration   of  Space  
at   the  Warburg   Library  


'ʹIconographic  database  at  the  Warburg  Library'ʹ,  
    http://warburg.sas.ac.uk/photographic-­‐‑collection/iconographic-­‐‑
    database/  
'ʹMnemosyne:  Meanderings  through  Aby  Warburg'ʹs  Atlas'ʹ,  
    http://warburg.library.cornell.edu/  



                                         Filmography  
Venus  in  Fur,  Dir.  Roman  Polanski,  France,  2013.  



                                          The  authors  
       François  Quiviger    
       François   Quiviger   (B.A.,   M.A.,   University   of   Montreal;   Ph.D.  
University  of  London)  is  Curator  of  Digital  Resources  at  the  Warburg  
Institute,   University   of   London.   He   has   taught   and   published   on  
Renaissance   art   history   and   theory   as   well   as   on   the   history   of  
sensation   (The   Sensory   World   of   Italian   Renaissance   Art,   London,  
Reaktion  Books,  2010).  
       Email:  francois.quiviger@sas.ac.uk  
         
       Emanuela  Patti  
       (MA  UCL,  Ph.D.  University  of  Birmingham)  is  Senior  Lecturer  of  
Media  Theory  at  The  Media  School  of  the  University  of  Bournemouth,  
Research  Fellow  at  the  Institute  of  Modern  Languages  Research,  School  
of   Advanced   Study,   University   of   London,   and   Honorary   Research  
Fellow   in   the   Department   of   Italian   Studies   at   the   University   of  
Birmingham.   She   has   written   articles   and   essays   on   Pasolini   and   his  
appropriation   of   Dante,   contemporary   Italian   literature   and  
experimental  narratives  in  cinema  and  literature.  She  is  the  editor  of  La  
nuova  gioventù?  L'ʹeredità  intellettuale  di  Pier  Paolo  Pasolini  (Novi  Ligure,  
Joker,   2009),   co-­‐‑editor,   with   Clodagh   Brook,   of   Transmedia.   Storie,  
memoria   e   narrazioni   attraverso   i   media   (Milano,   Mimesis,   2015)   and  


28  
                                            Between,  vol.  IV,  n.  8  (Novembre/November  2014)  



author  of  the  forthcoming  monograph  Pasolini  After  Dante:  The  "ʺDivine  
Mimesis"ʺ  and  the  Politics  of  Representation  (Oxford,  Legenda,  2015).  She  
is   about   to   start   the   AHRC-­‐‑funded   project   Interdisciplinary   Italy   1900-­‐‑
2020:  Interart/Intermedia.  
        Email:  emanuela.patti@sas.ac.uk  



                                      The  paper  
Date  sent:  30/08/2014  
Date  accepted:  30/09/2014  
Date  published:  30/11/2014  



                          How  to  quote  this  paper  
Patti,   Emanuela,   Quiviger,   François,   "ʺLinking   Venus:   New  
Technologies  of  Memory  and  Reconfiguration  of  Space  at  the  Warburg  
Library"ʺ,  Tecnologia,  Immaginazione  e  forme  del  narrare,  Ed.  L.  Esposito,  E.  
Piga,  A.  Ruggiero,  Between,  IV.8  (2014),  www.betweenjournal.it.  




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