GRAVEN IN REMEMBRANCE

THE INTERACTIONS OF MEMORY AND AESTHETICS

All objects are given a shape, and an appearance. The artifacts with which humans fill the
reality around them are a big part of what memories are made of, and therefore their design
and aesthetics highly influence remembrance. How are aesthetics related to memory and
nostalgia, and vice-versa? To live in awareness, we need to understand how the appearance
of objects influences us, and the power it has.

(What happens when aesthetics are shaped by memory? Does reality come to a breakdown?)
 1920S: VERZUOLO,
CORSO RE UMBERTO

In this section, we want to give a rendering of the

aesthetic atmosphere of Piemonte in the 1920s,
how would a person born in 1910 visually
remember their childhood, and how would they
read the same space, more than 100 years later?

• On the right: a reconstruction of the “Oreficeria Piantino”

sign
• Center: Corso Re Umberto, the 1920s, with a citizen moving
a cart with an ox
• On the left: the “Kennedy” 1920s car of the picture
What was Barba Gepu (the farmer) thinking every morning
walking with his animals in front of a neon sign designed in a
modern, fancy font and cars, an innovative and luxurious
object for the time? Probably his interrogative expression at
the sight of a photo camera reveals more than our
imagination can phantom.
Time passes, things change. To our eyes, the
design of the sign today probably appears as
nothing special, a simple, serif font, slightly
round, as we see many. The dimension of the
shop has increased, but the rest probably
followed the pace of time. Barba Gepu
might feel even more lost here.
1920S: SALUZZO, Here, you will be able to live the same experience of the
VIA SILVIO past section, but the comparison with the present could
PELLICO provide a different reaction, why?
On the left: Via Silvio Pellico,
1920s, Caffè Grande (Caffè
principe today)
Center, above: Via Silvio Pellico,
today, Caffè Principe (Caffè
Grande)
Center, below: Today’s sign of
Caffè Principe
On the right: a reconstruction of
the 1920s “Caffè Grande” sign
The recent interventions on the city landscape have turned
this zone into a pedestrian area again. Do you see consistent
differences (colors excluded) between the two streets? The
simple, non-minimalistic, serif design of the signs has
interesting similarities, and the architectural plant has been
maintained. We can say the same about the new sign of
Caffè Principe, which come to replace the historic Caffè
Grande: excellence is continuity, and endurance in time.
People who have been doing the same thing for over a
century are the best at doing it.
PLANT
DWELLING REMEMBRANCE

Lastly, have any of the elements that you saw in the other two
sections felt strangely familiar to you, even if you probably were
not even a baby at those times? How can that be?
Left: a reconstruction of the
“Oreficeria Piantino” sign
Center, above: a reconstruction
of the area in front of Wolfman
Barber, 2020
Center, below: a sample
Japanese model of Suzuki
Hustler, 2019
Right: a reconstruction of the
1920s “Caffè Grande” sign
Now that you have the means to do so, that you have lived a
bit of all of these atmospheres, try to compare these designs
and aesthetics, coming from different times and places. May
components of the Hustler seem to come or be inspired by
cars like the Kennedy model from the 1920s, and the window
and signs of this barber shop are more similar to those of the
past century than to those coming from the last two decades.
Why could this be? What impression does it make on you?
Do you want to enter, or buy?
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