A project in collaboration with Civita Mostre e Musei: exposed at the bookstore at Gallerie d’Italia Torino
by Justine Vanhumbeeck & Nina Lazzarini
“Memory Imprint is a collection inspired by the photo archives at the museum Gallerie d’Italia in Torino. It consists of interactive jewellery acting as a physical archive, inviting the wearer to engage with the past. Showing a contrasted transformation of light and shadows, reminding the traditional techniques of printing photography. Each piece is able to print a photograph from the archives using different printing techniques in a minimal form. Take a little part of the archives home, and create your own print.
The six pieces in this collection are divided into three categories. The first category is inspired by the traditional art of printmaking, particularly the historical techniques used to create prints from engraved metal plates. These pieces are not only designed as objects of visual interest but also serve a functional purpose: they can be used to produce ink prints by hand.
The rigid bracelet and pendant are designed to function as ink print devices, allowing the wearer to create unique prints by pressing the engraved surfaces onto paper.
The engraved images featured on the plates are carefully vectorized from original photographs, which were sourced from the Publifoto archives. By reinterpreting these archival images through a tactile and analogue printing process, the work bridges historical documentation with contemporary artistic practice.
The second category within the collection is inspired by the cyanotype printing process, an early photographic technique known for its deep blue tones. These pieces are designed not only as wearable objects but also as functional tools that allow the wearer to create their own cyanotype prints. Each piece comes with a set of cyanotype A & B powders, thoughtfully included in the jewel’s packaging, enabling users to engage directly with the printing process. Through this hands-on interaction, the work invites a personal connection to both image-making and the history of photographic techniques.
The two pieces, a brooch and a bag charm, can be unfolded and laid flat to serve as stencils for cyanotype printing.
The images featured on the brooch and bag charm are based on photographs that were first vectorized, then meticulously sawn out and engraved by hand.
The third category of pieces is inspired by the filing cabinets found in photo archives, systems designed to store and organize memories. Each piece is made to hold and display small, interchangeable photographs, allowing the wearer to reimagine the archive by selecting and wearing one image at a time. Through this interaction, the archive becomes personal, portable, and ever-changing.
The pieces, a pair of pin earrings and a pin, are designed to hold small, interchangeable photographs, made of hardened shrinking paper,
Four of our pieces are currently on display and available for purchase at the museum’s bookshop at Gallerie d’Italia in Torino.
An overview of the collections’ pieces, 3D designed and rendered.