Tangible Culture: Twelve Symbolic Objects

Within the general theme Design as Cultural Heritage, developed by the 2018 European initiative on Tangible Culture, twelve symbolic elements have been proposed. The aim of this article is to address the depth and breadth of the meaning of Tangible Culture. These twelve objectual frames are organized in four main areas related to each other: Authorship, Project, Matter and Appearance. The definition of these areas has been built showing the multidisciplinary correspondence of the following dimensions: the areas of intangible cultural heritage, the UNESCO authenticity criteria on tangible heritage, the historical Greco-Latin management of causality, the Edgar Morin s tetralogical loop, the quadripartite distribution of university fields, and certain orientations of the artistic avant-gardes of the twentieth century. Conclusions of this quadruple review of the meaning of Tangible Culture suggests the urgency of agreement with the current geopolitical situation of knowledge and diversity.