Evy Prentice

Exploring cross-cultural communication through endangered publishing formats takes shape in the form of a collectable album of cards, directly inspired by the Jet Natural History album, treasured by several generations of Colombians. Paired with the intervention of Molinari Graphics' collection of vernacular imagery, this contextual study explores the intersection between language, image, and communication.

The existence of Molinari Graphics itself is an act of cross-cultural communication between Europe and Latin America, as Spanish founder, Antonio Molinari, embarks on a quest to shape and be shaped by the local culture through the printed image. The contents of this archive form the foundation of this work, as a reframed context comes to light by intervening, subverting, and reimagining the image as a tool for cross-cultural communication in the 21st century.

Cultural narratives can be found in the most unexpected places, not necessarily within museums or official collections. In this instance, I look at a specific reference from my home country as the framework for my media exploration. The Jet chocolate collectable album is a significant part of Colombian material culture, deeply engrained in the vernacular, yet never quite 'official' enough to be considered worth highlighting. Collected by over four generations of Colombians, it represents a unique opportunity to explore vernacular language in an inventive way.

Through this project, I reimagine the Molinari Graphics archive from the National Library of Colombia beyond its original context, using it as a tool for cross-cultural communication. The outcome is a series of images aimed at prompting questions about interpretation. I represent the sayings and idioms literally through the image, producing a series of absurd notions which add to the character and nature of the visual language.