Damnatio MemoriaeUniversità IUAV di Venezia

Damnatio Memoriae originated from archival research on Italian history between 1938 and 1943. The project brings to light 100 stories that were made invisible at the time, of young people expelled from their high schools in Rome, uncovered from the pages of archives, told through photographs, data visualization, and the poignant testimony of those who lived through the consequences of the racial laws. The ring-bound structure recreates the archival experience and allows for movable pages that open and overlap, creating an analog interaction that brings the story to life, rediscovering together the lives of each young person: those who studied secretly, those who fled, those who hid, and those who were deported. Every material and visual choice invites reflection: the theme of oblivion with black-on-black printing; recycled paper, for the testimony of Paolo Della Seta, which adds a tactile dimension and evokes the fragility of memory. Our role as communicators is to inform, make people feel, and foster empathy.