Remediation in Souvenir Photography: Tools for Displaying Memory and Nostalgia
Anastasiya Kholyavka
This research has two objectives: archival and research. The first is to search for and preserve souvenir photographs, photography equipment, and accessories used to create souvenir photographs. Based on the collected collection, in-depth research and exploration of the practices of creating photo souvenirs will be conducted: who made them and in what way, how photographers worked, how the industry responded to/shaped the demands of these photographers, and how such items were sold and distributed. Additionally, the researcher will consider souvenir photographs in the context of practices of preserving and disseminating memory and constructing nostalgia, thus setting a conceptual framework.
The study will be based on the theory of remediation (J.D. Bolter, R. Grusin 1999), according to which new visual media acquire cultural relevance through the integration and reinterpretation of existing media forms. This provides a theoretical basis for analyzing souvenir photographs that combine different media, have connections to traditional painting and graphics, and also manifest themselves in contemporary digital forms.
Events:
- Public lecture "As a Memento of Lviv": Creating Souvenirs of the City in Photography of the 1950s and 1960s" / October 24, 2023
Credits
Cover Image: Volodymyr Rumyantsev // Urban Media Archive of the Center for Urban History
