Denise Tonella
Conveying the value of heritage
SUPSI Image Focus
Denise Tonella is Director of the Swiss National Museum. Since 2024, she has been a lecturer at SUPSI, responsible for the Cultural Anthropology module in the Bachelor of Arts in Interior Design.
We know you mainly for your role as Director of the Swiss National Museum. Where does this interest in education come from?
Teaching is not new to me. After my studies, I taught Italian for several years in various adult education centers, and for the last ten years I have regularly taught university courses, particularly on exhibition design and the staging of history in a museum space. Being in contact with students is always a source of inspiration for me, and it is a pleasure to be able to pass on my knowledge to an audience that still has their working lives ahead of them.
With the Cultural Anthropology module, you are weaving a direct link with your university studies. Is this a case of picking up where you left off, or is there a continuity with your life and professional path that led you to become director of the National Museum?
No, it's not about picking up where I left off when I finished my studies. History and cultural anthropology are, so to speak, my daily bread: they are part of my work when we discuss programming at the National Museum, when I oversee the development of an exhibition concept, when I give lectures on the objects preserved in the museum and in particular on what they tell us today, and so on.
You have taught at other Swiss universities, but in courses with a clear link to history and anthropology. How does your approach change when faced with future professionals in a field that is somewhat further removed from the humanities and social sciences, such as interior design?
The professional goals of the participants are different, and so is their approach to the subject. However, I find it extremely interesting to be able to explain the value of heritage and anthropological-cultural issues to those who will one day showcase heritage or will have to ask themselves anthropological questions in order to better understand a space and the people and communities who will use it.
Che insegnamenti o che sguardi vuoi trasmettere alle studentesse e agli studenti?
Il corso mira a sviluppare una visione generale dell'antropologia culturale, con particolare riferimento alla cultura materiale, al concetto di patrimonio e al valore del retaggio culturale per la società del presente. Riflette inoltre da una prospettiva antropologica sull'impatto del patrimonio culturale sull'essere umano, le sue pratiche, credenze e linguaggi. Vuole infine portare consapevolezza per la responsabilità che ogni generazione ha nel preservare e salvaguardare le tracce di un passato che continua a interagire con noi. Parleremo di concetti come l'ospitalità, gli spazi pubblici e privati, le tradizioni viventi - penso al Carnevale di Basilea o alla cultura Techno. Ci sarà spazio anche per parlare dell'aura degli oggetti, dell'immaginario religioso, di pratiche lavorative o dell'impatto della lingua sulla cultura di una società.
What are your feelings and expectations as you embark on this new academic year, your second as a lecturer at SUPSI?
I am always curious to get to know the course participants and their backgrounds, not only in terms of their studies and projects, but also culturally. My lessons take place in direct interaction with the students. Their experiences help to shape the course. I am also looking forward to the field trip in November. We will visit the exhibition “Landscapes of the Soul” at the Landesmuseum and there will be an exchange with the set designer. In the second part of the day, we will visit the Swiss National Museum's Collections Center, where virtually every object in the collection can be viewed from an anthropological and cultural perspective.