Job Offer from September 10, 2024
Rome, April 10–11, 2025
On August 25, 1925, the philosopher Walter Benjamin and the playwright Asja Lācis published a groundbreaking essay on Naples in the Frankfurter Zeitung. This essay not only transformed the perception of the city but also established a new conceptual framework. We read in one of the most famous passages:
„As porous as this stone is the architecture. Building and action interpenetrate in the courtyards, arcades, and stairways. In everything they preserve the scope to become a theater of new, unforeseen constellations. The stamp of definitive is avoided.“
The metaphor of porosity has been a fundamental interpretive tool across various facets of the cultural expression of Naples, spanning from the artistic-architectural fusion of noble palaces and chapels to the cinematic exploration of the interaction between interior and exterior spaces. However, the extensive usage of this metaphor has led to concerns about its potential reinforcement of stereotypes of Neapolitan way of life.
In a broader context, the notion has transcended the boundaries of the Italian southern city and become a recurring feature in international urban planning and architectural studies. The urban fabric of Tehran, Bangkok, and Rio de Janeiro, for example, has been rethought in light of this concept. Urban plans for Paris and Palermo have been developed under the banner of porosity. Several ambitious architectural projects have explicitly embraced the concept of porosity to dismantle divisions between environments and social classes. This extends to the emergence of a new geological and speleological perspective on the materiality of porous stone and cavity architecture.
In philosophical studies, the notion has long been explored within Benjamin’s thought, linking it with other concepts such as the Denkbild – the porous juxtaposition of image and thought. It has also evolved into a category within perceptual phenomenology and the political transformation of borders into thresholds. The re-publication of the full text in 2020 reignited debate surrounding the essay.
100 years after its publication, the Bibliotheca Hertziana – Max Planck Institute for Art History in Rome aims to evaluate the contemporary reception of the essay through a multidisciplinary workshop. This initiative presents an opportunity to redefine the concept of porosity at its core, challenging stereotypes and exploring its yet untapped potential. Concerning Naples, in which areas of the city does the concept of 'porosity' no longer effectively fulfill its hermeneutic function? Can we still speak of a 'porous Naples' in an era dominated by the commodification of its tourist image? Furthermore, how can we extend the relevance of this concept beyond its original association with Naples?
Contributions may explore any aspect of the essay and its reception. Topics of particular interest include Benjamin's and Lācis’ philosophies, as well as the historical-artistic contexts they reference. We welcome contributions that examine the essay's influence in contemporary thought and its portrayal of the city in literature and the arts.
For the authors' perspectives, contributions may explore: the genesis and evolution of the concepts of ‘porosity’ (Porosität) and ‘interpenetration’ (Durchdringung); Benjamin’s portrayal of Naples in contrast to Berlin, Moscow, and Paris; Benjamin’s critique of Karl Baedeker and his use of the essay form as a counter to traditional tourist guides; the relationship between ruins and Baroque allegory; the theatricality of Naples as reflected in the works of Asja Lācis and in the screenplays of Mejerchol’d and Piscator; the collaborative workshop on Naples involving Alfred Sohn-Rethel, Theodor Adorno, Siegfried Kracauer, and Ernst Bloch; and explorations of porosity beyond the scope of the Benjamin-Lācis essay.
Regarding the historical-artistic context, contributions may explore: the porosity of urban spaces (both civil and religious); the permeability of materials (such as tufa, the oiled paper of altars, and fabrics of curtains); representations of Naples’ porosity in photography and cinema from the early 20th century to the present; the architectural dichotomy between the upper and lower worlds; die depiction of Naples through images of Thebaids and the Hottentots’ kraal; the global application of porosity as an interpretive concept in contemporary architecture.
Applications in Italian, German, and English are welcome.
To apply, please submit an abstract of up to 500 words and a brief CV by October 30, 2024, to the following address:
https://recruitment.biblhertz.it
Accommodation and travel expenses for speakers will be provided.
The workshop will take place at the Bibliotheca Hertziana in Rome on April 10 and 11, 2025.
Organizers: Elenio Cicchini, Tanja Michalsky
Collaborating Partners:
Librerie Dante & Descartes Naples
Goethe-Institut Naples
AWB – Associazione Italiana Walter Benjamin
IISF – Istituto Italiano per gli Studi Filosofici, Naples