1st Conference on Photographic Heritage

1st Conference on Photographic Heritage and Visual Culture

16 October

2nd centenary of the first photograph (1826–2026)

Dialogues on photography and visual memory

A space for dialogue connecting research, preservation, and interpretation of photographic heritage and its role in shaping visual culture.

Through keynote lectures and communications, held in an exceptional setting — the Castle of the Marquesses of Santa Maria de Barberà, a listed National Cultural Asset (BCIN).

The conference spans history, techniques, archives, and experiences that define photographic heritage.

Programme

Morning

09:00–09:30 | Registration and material distribution

09:30–09:40 | Opening ceremony - Institutional welcome

09:40–10:00 | Benet Oliva Ricós - Historical and graphic notes on the Castle of Vilassar de Dalt

10:00–11:00 | Carmelo Vega de la Rosa - A History of New Images. An Instruction Manual

11:00–12:00 | Paco Gómez García - The Ministry of the Lost Image

12:00–12:30 | Coffee break

12:30–12:50 | Jep Martí Baiget - The Clifford Portal, Ten Years On

12:50–13:10 | Carmen Perrotta - Creation and development of the celebrated 'Arxiu Mas' (1900–1941)

13:10–13:30 | Josep Samon Forgas - Photographic heritage and local history in Vilassar de Dalt

13:30–15:00 | Lunch

Afternoon

15:00–15:20 | Alexis Serrano Méndez - Managing analogue photographic heritage at the Maresme Regional Archive

15:20–15:40 | David González Ruiz - Challenges and phases in the archival treatment of photographic documents

15:40–16:00 | Bernat Muntés Zabala & Jaume Enric Zamora Escala - Imagina: the image dissemination portal of the Municipal Archives Network of the Barcelona Provincial Council

16:00–16:20 | Salvador Tió Sauleda - Photographer José Alonso Gallofré and his photographic studios

16:20–16:40 | María de los Santos García Felguera - Women photographers in Catalonia. Histories and historiography

16:40–17:15 | Coffee break

17:15–17:35 | Marta Ballester Gassó & Albert Domènech Alberdi - The complete production of El Arte en el desnudo (1933), by Josep Masana

17:35–17:55 | Stéphany Onfray - From the portrayed to the photographers and back. Rethinking the history(ies) of 19th-century photography

17:55–18:15 | Jordi Sant Gisbert - La Barcelonesa: a colonial project of the Barcelona bourgeoisie

18:15–18:45 | Joaquín Paredes Piris - Daguerreotype demonstration

18:45–19:00 | Closing ceremony and farewell

Guided tour Revela’t 2026

19:15–20:30 | Maria Vilà Batlle - Guided tour of the Revela't 2026 exhibitions

16 October 2026 · Vilassar de Dalt

Researchers, archivists, and specialists presenting studies on the history, technique, and interpretation of photographic heritage.

Speakers

Head-and-shoulders portrait of a smiling man wearing glasses and a dark suit with a white shirt.

Keynote

Benet Oliva Ricós

Historian

Historical and graphic notes on the Castle of Vilassar de Dalt

Portrait of a middle-aged man with glasses, wearing a dark hoodie, standing with arms crossed in front of a bookshelf in a grayscale photo.

Keynote

Carmelo Vega de la Rosa

PhD in Geography and History. Associate Professor of Contemporary Art History at the University of La Laguna (Tenerife)

A History of New Images. An Instruction Manual

Bearded man wearing glasses and a dark sweater takes a mirror selfie with a camera held to his face.

Keynote

Paco Gómez García

Photographer, writer, curator, and exhibition designer

The Ministry of the Lost Image

Portrait of a smiling man with glasses, a beard, scarf, and jacket, standing in front of a wall with glass drop sculptures (black-and-white photo).

Communication

Jep Martí Baiget

Archivist and researcher in 19th-century photography history

The Clifford Portal, Ten Years On

Portrait of a smiling woman with shoulder-length dark hair wearing a light sweater, standing against a plain wall.

Communication

Carmen Perrotta

Graduate in History and Conservation of Artistic Heritage, University of Calabria. PhD in Medieval Cultures, University of Barcelona

Creation and development of the celebrated 'Arxiu Mas' (1900–1941)

Man seated at a desk in an office, looking to the side, with a computer monitor and map poster in the background.

Communication

Alexis Serrano Méndez

Director of the Maresme Regional Archive

Managing analogue photographic heritage at the Maresme Regional Archive

Portrait of a middle-aged man with short dark hair and light stubble, standing between tall shelves in a warehouse or storage area.

Communication

David González Ruiz

PhD in Art History, UAB. Archivist at the Sabadell Historical Archive

Challenges and phases in the archival treatment of photographic documents

Close-up portrait of a middle-aged man with gray hair and beard, wearing black-framed glasses, looking at the camera against a textured wall.

Communication

Salvador Tió Sauleda

Graduate in Chemical Sciences, UB. Photo-historian

Photographer José Alonso Gallofré and his photographic studios

Portrait of an older woman with white hair resting her chin on clasped hands in a thoughtful pose.

Communication

María de los Santos García Felguera

PhD in Art History, UCM. Professor at UCM and UPF

Women photographers in Catalonia. Histories and historiography

A man with a long white beard and glasses stands with a smiling woman wearing a scarf indoors.

Communication

Marta Ballester Gassó & Albert Domènech Alberdi

Art historians specialising in illustration, printmaking, and historical photography

The complete production of El Arte en el desnudo (1933), by Josep Masana, held at the Amatller Institute of Hispanic Art

Woman with glasses and a white embroidered shirt holds a book titled 'Retratadas' in a museum or gallery setting, with art on the walls behind her.

Communication

Stéphany Onfray

PhD in Art History. Exhibition curator

From the portrayed to the photographers and back. Rethinking the history(ies) of 19th-century photography from a feminist perspective

Portrait of a smiling man with short dark hair and a beard, wearing a dark striped shirt, outdoors (grayscale).

Communication

Jordi Sant Gisbert

PhD in History, UPF. Associate lecturer at UB and collaborator at UOC

La Barcelonesa: a colonial project of the Barcelona bourgeoisie

Black-and-white photo of a man sitting on a concrete block in a dark room, hands clasped, looking down.

Communication

Joaquín Paredes Piris

Photographer specialising in historical photographic processes

Daguerreotype demonstration

Older man with a bald head and light stubble wearing a white collared shirt and dark cardigan, looking at the camera in a grayscale portrait.

Communication

Josep Samon Forgas

Local historian. Collaborator of the Municipal Museum, Municipal Archive, and Parish Archive of Vilassar de Dalt

Photographic heritage and local history in Vilassar de Dalt

Communication

Bernat Muntés Zabala & Jaume Enric Zamora Escala

Oficina de Patrimoni Cultural de la Diputació de Barcelona

Imagina: the image dissemination portal of the Municipal Archives Network of the Barcelona Provincial Council

El Castillo de Vilassar de Dalt acogerá la primera jornada sobre patrimonio fotográfico, coincidiendo con el bicentenario de la fotografía.

Stone castle on a hillside surrounded by trees, with blue sky and white clouds above. It sits behind a fortified wall with crenellations.

On 16 October 2026, the Castle of Vilassar de Dalt will host the 1st Conference on Photographic Heritage and Visual Culture, coinciding with the bicentenary of the first photograph in history. The event will take place in an exceptional setting, made available by the Marquess of Santa Maria de Barberà.

The conference will bring together researchers, archivists, collectors, and image professionals to reflect on the history of photography, its techniques, archives, and forms of conservation. Through keynote lectures and communications, the event will explore how we preserve and interpret collective visual memory, with the aim of making this an annual landmark event for Catalan photographic heritage.

Date: 16 October 2026
Venue: Assembly Hall of the Castle of Vilassar de Dalt, BCIN (National Cultural Asset)
Organised by: @laimatge perduda · Sala Losdijck Collection · Festival Revela't
Collaborators: Vilassar de Dalt Town Council · Municipal Museum of Vilassar de Dalt · Barcelona Provincial Council
Information and registration: info.patrimonifoto@gmail.com

1st Conference page