Arts

Food labels are common elements of everyday life. However, from the point of view of communication researchers (especially visual communication), they are incredibly interesting cultural artifacts, located at the intersection of communication, design, technology, and regulation. This article analyzes the evolution of the labels of Muszynianka, a leading mineral water brand in Poland, from the perspective of media archaeology. It treats labels as dual artifacts—media (information carriers, regulatory objects) and artistic (elements of applied art, design). This article emphasizes the importance of materiality, the non-linearity of history and the analysis of the technological–regulatory “archive.” It develops concepts of labels as complex, multimodal messages, especially in a historical context. The authors conducted a visual analysis of the evolution of Muszynianka’s labels, placing them within broader design trends. To explore recurring visual and narrative motifs, a topoi analysis method was used to identify three basic topoi: Topos of Nature/Mountain Origin, Topos of Health/Vitality/Purity, and Topos of Modernity/Technology.

The historical pipe organ, an instrument of vast scale and complex construction, has a significant connection to liturgical celebration and to the history of European churches. It is also one of the few musical instruments considered to be a work of architecture. The evolution of organ building, especially in the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries, required deep knowledge of musical culture and technology. The significance of this relationship is illustrated by the example of the former and present organs of the church of St. Mary Magdalene in Wroclaw (Breslau). The first church organs appeared here in the Middle Ages, and as will be shown, in subsequent eras, their location, form, and décor were changed according to evolving cultural and liturgical mandates as well as changes to the structure of the church architecture. The history of the specific organs of the church of St. Mary Magdalene is the product of a rich history of monumental construction, reconstruction, conservation, and restoration, and it is poised to offer a continuation of this tradition in the present and future of the parish and in music history with proposed restorations and renovations of their historic space and instruments.

This study explores the evolving role of architecture centers in the digital age by analyzing the case of Casa da Arquitectura (CdA) in Matosinhos, Portugal, a hybrid institution that functions as both archive and museum. Positioned within the broader context of museum digitization and liminality theory, the research investigates how CdA navigates the spatial, social, and procedural shifts inherent in digital transformation. Drawing on qualitative methods, including in-depth interviews with key personnel and on-site observations, the study examines the institution’s strategies in acquisition, curation, and exhibition design. The findings highlight CdA’s innovative approach to archival visibility, the creation of a multipurpose digital platform (“edifício digital”), and the integration of archival acquisitions with exhibition practices. These practices illustrate a condition of triple liminality of the digital museum concerning its process, position, and place. The study also discusses how digitization reconfigures the museum’s organizational model in terms of accessibility and curatorial complexity. By analyzing CdA’s operational and curatorial choices, the paper discusses how digital museums can act as speculative, process-oriented spaces that challenge traditional boundaries between archive and exhibition, physical and virtual, institutional and public.