A Monograph In Seven Plates
The Nostalgic Refrigerator
— preserves only memories of food
Plate II
Abstract
The Nostalgic Refrigerator (Cat. MAI–008) inverts the conventional remit of refrigeration: rather than retarding the spoilage of foodstuffs, the unit retains, indefinitely, the memory of meals once stored within¹⁴. Each shelf bears an etched glass placard upon which a softly-lit recollection appears (e.g., 'a half-finished tarte tatin, 3rd April, raining'). The interior cavity itself remains immaculately empty, save for a single, perfectly-illuminated bulb of considerable wistfulness.
- 1.Cabrera, S. On the Memory of Cold Spaces. Journal of Improbable Domestic Engineering, Vol. XL (2017), pp. 88–122.
- 2.Proust, M. — selected passages, as projected on the interior door panel.
- 3.Cabrera, S. & Lépine, J. The Empty Larder & the Full Heart. Lyon, 2019.
Plate III
Animated Blueprint
Hover the gold markers to reveal annotations. Lines self-inscribe upon entry to the gallery.
Plate IV
Patent Documentation
Reproduction of the original USPTO filing, with examiner's flourish preserved in oxblood ink.
United States Patent Office
US 10,442,189 B2
Seal
Inventor
Sofía Cabrera & Atelier Souvenir
Filed
May 14, 2015
Granted
Oct. 08, 2019
Classification
Domestic Hubris
Abstract
A cold-storage unit specialising in the recollection rather than the preservation of comestibles.
Claims
- 01.A refrigeration apparatus comprising an insulated cavity and a non-perishable record medium configured to retain a textual or pictorial representation of a comestible item formerly contained therein.
- 02.The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an internal illuminator operating at a colour temperature between 2,100 and 2,300 K.
- 03.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cavity is, in normal operation, empty.
- 04.The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising one or more etched placards each bearing the recollection of a meal.
Examiner's Endorsement
Hon. C. Ravensbrook, USPTO
Folio · MAI–008
Plate V
Demonstration Reel
Salvaged from the inventor's archive; restored at 24 frames per second by the Conservator's Office.
Plate VI
Technical Specifications
Plate VII
Critical Reception
I have not eaten in a fortnight. I have, however, remembered everything.
M. Jean-Luc Lépine
Subscriber, Vol. IV
The first appliance to honour what we have already eaten.
Sra. Sofía Cabrera
Atelier Souvenir, Lyon
An empty refrigerator with a full inner life.
Prof. Gisela Rohrbach
Chair of Domestic Memory, Universität Wien
Colophon
This monograph was set in Cormorant Garamond and JetBrains Mono and printed on bone-toned stock by the Curatorial Trust, MMXXIV.