The heart according to Sérgio Brito
Sérgio Brito
For the Project curricular unit, with the aim of creating a book on a self-proposed theme, I chose to explore and honor a symbol that is present in our lives but does not receive due recognition: the heart.
This project grew out of reading on iconography and symbolism, and the odd book, however rare, devoted to the heart symbol, as well as conversations with professors and scholars at FBAUP and at foreign universities, and explorations of the vast online galleries of museums. It gave rise to this editorial artifact, which sets out the history of the heart symbol: from theories about its origin in the city of Cyrene and in Ancient Egypt, through medieval Japan, to its global presence today.
The best way to tell this story is through the artifacts that have survived for more than 2,000 years. Using the online galleries of 10 museums, such as the British Museum and the Met, around 380 of the 13,330 artifacts bearing the heart symbol were selected for the book. The book’s cover, inspired by these artifacts, is made of a material that proudly shows the book’s age and use.
I hope this book evokes memories in its readers, connecting them to their own “heart objects”, and that, metaphorically, they add their own artifacts to the book. Perhaps, 2,000 years from now, someone will make another collection of heart artifacts that do not yet exist.
Imprint / Technical Rider:
Year: 2024
Dimensions: 184 × 244 × 24 mm; 268 pages
Materials: Mirror paper (cover), Inaset 100 g/m² (interior).
Production and finishing: Printed by Fotomecânica Molográfica; finishing: Sr. Carvalho.
Resources and credits: Typefaces: Contralto and Red Hat Text (captions); photographs: belong to the respective museums; software: Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, Blender.
Curricular Unit:
Project (1st year)
Supervising Professors:
Eduardo Aires and Cristina Ferreira