Zuzana Labudová
With the massive expansion of tourism, starting before the last century, came the increasing need for people to bring back home with them memorabilia – souvenirs. Initially the expensive souvenirs resulting from tips of aristocratic travelers were gradually replaced with cheap and affordable merchandise for the masses of tourists. The tastes of majority led to unified production, which became mainly simplified visuals of well-known symbols.
A tasteful souvenir for the tourist must be universally desired but also needs a concept, a level of artistry, or some form of practical use. Students of the Studio of Innovation at the Department of Design, Faculty of Arts in Košice under the supervision of Tibor Uhrín and his PhD doctorates in connection with Košice as the Europe’s capital city of culture, have been proposing special souvenirs for the city which highlight the local context. Many of the souvenirs were built for dual purpose: not just memorabilia, but something with practical function.