Flags of the International Congresses of Vexillology [3]

Congress place: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Congress period: July 31 - August 6, 2005
Congress organizer: Association Argentina de Vexilologia / Fundácion Centro Interdisciplinaro des Estudios Culturales

image by Pascal Gross

About the ICV 21 Flag

Pascal Gross’ design combines several elements. First, the Argentine national colors disposed in two vertical stripes, white to the hoist and sky-blue to the fly. This disposition of stripes also evokes the Flag of The Andes in its present disposition, although not the original one. On the center of the white stripe is located the sun of Argentine national flag, which has been used in national symbols since 1813 on the Coat of Arms and the first Argentine currencies. On 1815 is added to presidential band and in 1818 on the War Flag. In 1884 the national government decreed that the flag with the sun is also the official flag of the republic for the use of national government and its dependencies. The flag without sun is the national, merchant and civilian one that is used by all the citizens. The 1884 decree reserved the exclusive use of the sun for the government. In 1944 another decree despoiled Argentinean people of the use of the national flag changing to the word "bandera" (flag) by "colores" (colors) This abnormality was rectified in 1985 when the use of the flag with or without sun was legalized for to all the citizens. This is to say, both designs are allowed for official and/or civil use. The another element of the Flag for 21st. International Congress of Vexillology (ICV 21) is the main symbol of FIAV’s flag. This symbol is horizontally seen on the FIAV’s flag with yellow color on blue background. It’s the third time that the FIAV’s symbol has been used in Congress flags. The first time was ICV 15, Zurich 1993; second in ICV 20, Stockholm 2003. The symbol of the FIAV is a marine knot considered as international symbol. It consists of interlaced halyards connected in which is known as a "plain knot". This symbol was selected during the second International Congress of Vexillology in Zurich in 1967, introduced by Klaes Sierksma. The adjudged symbolism is the international friendship and the eyelets also symbolize both hemispheres. Pascal chooses to represent the knot with the Argentine national flags, giving this way balance with the rest of the symbols.
Raul Jesus Orta Pardo 26 August 2004

See also:

ICV 21 Flag Proposals

The proceedings were published as "Vexilobaires 2005: Comunicaciones del Congreso Internacional de Vexilología XXI = Proceedings of the XXI International Congress of Vexillology" (Buenos
Aires: Asociación Argentina de Vexilología, 2009) edited by Francisco Gregoric.
Proceedings: https://fiav.org/21st-international-congress-of-vexillology-buenos-aires-argentina-2005/
Esteban Rivera, 9 July 2024

ICV 22

Congress place: Berlin, Germany
Congress period: August 5 - August 10, 2007
Congress organizer: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Flaggenkunde

image by Jens Pattke

About the ICV 22 Flag

The Congress-flag of "FlagBerlin 2007" is a square white cloth with a narrow border in the German national colours black-red-gold and bears in the centre the logo of the congress. The German colours of the border are beginning from outside with black.

The centre of the cloth shows on a blue circle the yellow logo of the congress, the Roman "XXII" in shape of the "Brandenburg Gate"

From the yellow rim surrounding the blue circle are running two stripes like halyards diagonally to the corners of the flag, forming in their mid-sections the "vexillological knot" of FIAV.

The colours of these halyards are in the dropping diagonals black-yellow colored, in the rising ones red-yellow, with the yellow halyards joining the yellow rim of the blue circle.

The square cloth in form of a historical standard reminds of the conference venue, the German Historical Museum, which houses a great collection of flags, comprising above all flags of the former Prussian arsenal and many a flag of German parties and organisations, all in all more than 2000 pieces.

The white ground of the flag is representing the peaceful togetherness of the nations of the world.

The logo is expression of the international character of the congress. It shows the colours of the FIAV, royal blue and yellow, and on the blue circle the yellow Roman "XXII" for the 22nd ICV in the shape of the Brandenburg Gate, the well-known symbol of Berlin, for the conference venue of the "FlagBerlin 2007".

Here, within the visual range of the Brandenburg Gate, vexillologists from all corners of the World are meeting, represented by the diagonals and their "vexillological knots" running from the four corners to the centre of the flag and reminding of the close ties between the two hemispheres.

The knot is the emblem of the FIAV, which was introduced by Klaes Sierksma in 1967, during the 2. International Congress of Vexillology in Zurich (Switzerland).

The border in the German national colours, surrounding the white cloth of the flag stands for Germany and represents this country as host of the 22nd ICV.

The history of the colours black-red-gold is a symbol of the German national movement since the first half of the 19th century. In the modern form of the horizontal tricolour they appeared for the first time in 1832, expressing the all-German thinking and liberal views. Revolutionary events in March 1848 brought about their general acceptance. In 1866 Chancellor Bismarck introduced in deliberate contrast to that a black-white-red flag for the North-German Union and the following German Empire, which was waving until German Revolution in November 1918. In 1918 Black-Red-Gold became the symbol of the German Republic. But the National-Assembly of the Weimar Republic made a grave political compromise: The colours of the republic became Black-Red-Gold, but the commercial flag was made Black-White-Red with the national colours in the upper corner near the hoist. This compromise was abolished by Hitler' government in 1933, when Black-Red-Gold was banished from public life. After the fall of the Hitler-regime in 1945 Black-Red-Gold had their renaissance. In 1949 came two German states into being, which both made Black-Red-Gold their colours, the German Democratic Republic placing in 1959 their arms in the centre of its flag.

Since 1990 Black-Red-Gold form the Flag of reunited Germany.

The Congress flag was designed by Jens Pattke, member of the German Vexillological Society, and in April 2006 selected by the Organizational Committee of "FlagBerlin 2007" after a two-phase competition international participation out of more than 125 proposals.
From FlagBerlin 2007 webpage

See also:

Daily reports from Berlin

The proceedings were published as "Colours of History: Flags and Banners in the World: Proceedings of the XXII. International Vexillological Congress, FlagBerlin 2007" (Berlin: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Flaggenkunde, 2009), edited by Gerd Vehres and Hans-Ulrich Herzog.
Proceedings: https://fiav.org/22nd-international-congress-of-vexillology-berlin-germany-2007/
Esteban Rivera, 9 July 2024

ICV 23

The proceedings were published as "Official Proceedings: The Twenty-Third International Congress of Vexillology (Tokyo: Japanese Vexillological Association, 2011), edited by Miru Takano and Zachary Harden.
Proceedings: https://fiav.org/23rd-international-congress-of-vexillology-yokohama-japan-2009/
Esteban Rivera, 9 July 2024

ICV 24

Congress place: Washington, DC, USA
Congress period: August 1 - August 5, 2011
Congress organizer: NAVA

"The design of the Congress flag was selected from 27 proposals submitted by interested vexillologists, and modified slightly by the design committee. The white stars on blue and the red stars on white represent, respectively, the host nation and city, the USA and Washington, D.C. There are 24 stars in all, echoing the number of the ICV. The blue-and-white and the quartered design also recall, respectively, the state flags of Virginia and Maryland, the two states adjacent to the District of Columbia.

The basic design was submitted by Tony Burton of Australia. Mr. Burton's original design showed gold stars in the white blue quarters. While the original blue-and-gold motif suggested the colors of the FIAV flag, the committee felt that there should be a stronger reference the host nation. The committee also considered displaying gold stars in one blue quarter and white in the other; however, this was visually less attractive and created a potential precedence issue.

Coincidentally, the concept of the ICV 24 flag is similar to the one used for ICV 14 in Barcelona in 1991, 20 years earlier. However, the use of the stars to represent the number of the ICV creates an additional symbolic link between the ICV and the host nation and city.

The flag was chosen by the ICV 24 flag committee: Peter Ansoff, chairman; Baron Fain, John Purcell, and Cindy Williams."
from FIAV-InfoFIAV29, 31 August 2010

ICV 25

Congress place: Rotterdam, Netherlands
Congress period: August 5 - August 9, 2013
Congress organizer: The Netherlands Vexillological Association, the Netherlands Flag Museum Foundation and the Rotterdam Flag Parade Foundation
Congress website: http://www.nfc2013.com

The Netherlands Flag Museum Foundation, the Rotterdam Flag Parade Foundation and the Netherlands Vexillological Association – founders of the Stichting/Foundation 25th International Congress of Vexillology 2013 – asked the Dutch flag designer and vexillologist Theun Okkerse to design a flag/logo for the Netherlands Flag Congress 2013/ICV2013.

The Congress flags designed for earlier ICV’s show a great variety. Old traditions in colour and shape play an important role in the designs. The knotted rope – the FIAV symbol – is often shown and/or a mark that stands for the ICV Congress number. Combinations of a mark and the symbol are often shown on the flags as well. Thanks to the lack of [specified] design criteria, a rich variety of flags has grown.

Starting points for the design of the 25th ICV flag has been the Congress country and the Congress city as well as the flag history and tradition. The Netherlands have two flag main streams: the bar flags and the flare flags (“jack”). The latter are exclusively used in the shipping industry. The Dutch Royal Navy is allowed to fly the “double” jack; other ships the single. Because of the connection of this flag model (jack) with “water” it is appropriate to connect it to Rotterdam as a world port. The original red-white-blue “tapers” have been transformed to the Rotterdam colours green-white-green. The pennant as well has its own Dutch character: during the Queens birthday an orange pennant is shown above the Dutch red-white-blue flag. The FIAV supplement gets, in accordance with the Dutch tradition, an honorary place by way of an bleu pennant with the “FIAV knotted rope in yellow”. The proposal for the Netherlands Flag Congress 2013 flag became in this way clear by shape and colour with a vexillological reference to the geographical situation of Rotterdam and the tradition of the Dutch flag.

Source: http://www.nfc2013.com/pages/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5&Itemid=5
Jens Pattke, 11 September 2011

The proceedings were published as "Proceedings of the 25th International Congress of Vexillology (Rotterdam: Nederlandse Vereniging voor Vlaggenkunde and Stichting Vlaggenparade Rotterdam, 2016), edited by Marcel van Westerhoven."
Proceedings: https://fiav.org/25th-international-congress-of-vexillology-rotterdam-netherlands-2013/
Esteban Rivera, 9 July 2024

ICV 26

Congress place: Sydney, Australia
Congress period: 31 August - 4 September, 2015
Congress organizer: Flag Society of Australia (Flags Australia)
Congress website: http://www.icv26.com.au

The 26th International Congress of Vexillology will be held in Sydney on 31 August - 4 September, 2015, which is the first week of Spring in Australia. The event will be hosted by the Flag Society of Australia (Flags Australia).

At the FIAV General Assembly held on 2 August 2011 at the Washington Flag Congress, Tony Burton and I showed the delegates the Congress Flag.

The flag was designed by Tony Burton and in his words "it blends heraldry and geometry to bring a sense of pageantry and festive occasion." The elements of the design provide an emphasis on the people who will attend the Congress and their shared interest in flags. The design is a composite of the Congress logo laid over a simple background that represents the Sydney Harbour Bridge, using as its perspective the appearance of the bridge's arch from the base of one of its pylons. The bridge is also a metaphor for the links between international vexillologists. The gold and red arcs also suggest the sun on the Aboriginal flag rising over the red monolith of Uluru - emphasising that this Congress is hosted in Australia. The predominant colours of blue and gold are those of FIAV and also the City of Sydney.

The logo part of the design has three elements. The key element is a stylised human figure that is also part of the assembly of Roman numerals indicating that the 2015 International Congress is the 26th. At the same time the head of this figure doubles as Alpha Crucis in the Southern Cross constellation above. The use of circles rather than points makes the stars representative of the Southern Pacific rather than solely Australia. The designer also sought to convey the concept of "thought bubbles" to suggest that delegates have their minds on the various flags unfurling, these in turn represented by the three cursive shapes directly adjacent (two explicit, the third represented by a void).

The specific colour shades are: Blue: PMS 288, Yellow: PMS 7406 and Red: PMS 200. For the FOTW image, the colours are B+++,Y+ and R++. Whilst B+++ is not an FOTW standard colour, it is a browser safe shade (RGB: 0-0-102).

Ralph Kelly, 11 September 2011
Chair of the Organising Committee for ICV26

The proceedings were published as "Proceedings of the 26th International Congress of Vexillology" Sydney, Australia 31 August–4 September 2015 (Sydney: Flag Society of Australia Inc. [Flags Australia], 2022). Edited by A.C. (Tony) Burton; assistant editors, Ralph G.C. Bartlett and Ralph D. Kelly.
Proceedings: https://fiav.org/26th-international-congress-of-vexillology-sydney-australia-2015/
Esteban Rivera, 9 July 2024

ICV 27

Congress place: Imperial College, Kensington, London, England
Congress period: 7-11 August, 2017
Congress organizer: Flag Institute

ICV 28 - HemisFlag 2019

Congress place: San Antonio, Texas, USA
Congress period: 15-19 July, 2019
Congress organizer: Vexillological Association of Texas and The Flag Research Center

ICV 29