Prática Editorial como Reativação
Da Digitalização Arquivística à Mediação Editorial no Arquivo Científico Desmond Morris no MHNC-UP.
Maria Luísa Pinto
Scientific archives are fundamental repositories of human knowledge, yet often remain inaccessible due to challenges of cataloging, digitization and cultural mediation. Following a curricular internship at the Desmond Morris scientific archive, held at the Museum of Natural History and Science of the University of Porto (MHNC-UP), a catalog was produced of the “biomorphs”: creatures invented by Morris — British zoologist, ethologist and surrealist painter — who drew them in the margins of his scientific documents, revealing the intersection between scientific thought and artistic expression.
Based on Pierini and Camillini’s (2023) concept of editorial reactivation, an editorial practice was established to reactivate this dormant collection, integrating archival methodologies with editorial design to structure, contextualize and communicate this previously unpublished visual heritage to different audiences.
Imprint / Technical Rider:
Year: 2026
Dimensions: 210 × 210 mm; catalog in three sections
Materials: Catalog “Sketches in the Margin: The World of the Biomorphs” (1st edition, May 2026), in three sections: a central one, “Artist” and “Zoologist”. Text block Munken Lynx 120 g; overlays on tracing paper 120 g; cover Rives Design Bright White 250 g; inserts on yellow paper 90 g.
Production and finishing: Stapled binding, front and back covers glued. Printed by Norcópia, Porto.
Resources and credits: Typography: Prestige Elite Std (English) and Poppins (Portuguese). Texts by Maria Luísa Pinto, edited by Anabela Magalhães.
Curricular Unit:
Dissertation/Project/Internship (2nd year) — Project
Supervisor: Cristina Ferreira
Keywords: Desmond Morris, Editorial Design, Reactivation, Scientific Archive
See this project in the Material Archive interactive archive →