"Spégu" is an artist’s book that explores the ephemerality and decomposition of memory
and idealization, through a narrative entirely composed of poetry and photography.
This book is the result of an intense research process and a deep passion
for photography and typography. The story revolves around a hypothetical
relationship between two lovers, experienced and told in the first person through
poems written after the end of the relationship.
"Spégu" was created by me in four copies, using Garamone movable type on
220g Rosaspina paper, with photographs printed on acetate—both in positive and negative—to create
a decompositional layering of the image.
Most of the photos depict an imagined journey taken as a couple, now fading away—just like the photographed figures, which blur and
distort. This effect was achieved by photographing directly into a flexible mirror. Among the poems, one is written in Sardinian, in addition
to the title (Spégu = Carrion), which evokes a state of abandonment, similar to a slowly rotting corpse.
To reinforce the idea of the fragility of memory, the cover is detachable
(as if the book itself were falling apart), the ink is deliberately uneven,
and the debossing on the cover is barely visible, giving it a ghostly quality.
The thread used for the Japanese binding is grey, to simulate the absence of ink.
I chose an intaglio paper which I later roughened to create a tactile contrast
while reading the poems—rancorous in tone but softened by tenderness.
In the same way, the pages feel soft to the touch, but the rough edge adds a textured sensation.
