Leí este libro Historias de lo sobrenatural de la
autora Vivianne Perrot (Editorial El
Ateneo, 2014). La autora aborda el fenómeno de lo paranormal
desde una perspectiva que mezcla la recopilación histórica con el relato
testimonial. Funciona como una antología
de casos. De lectura fácil y rápida,
toca diversos puntos entre el espiritismo y la parapsicología en su relación con
la ciencia, la autora no toma partido sino más redacta en modo de crónica,
favoreciendo una investigación cultural divulgativa. A mí me quedó la sensación
que se orienta más que nada por el lado escéptico, en citas y referencias parecieras
tener un aire por lada de la racionalidad (ejemplo: cita a Voltaire en las primeras
páginas, cita a un estudio científico en el tema Tutankamon), aunque el libro
no está presentado como una lucha superstición vs. ciencia, sino que va más por
el lado de las historias personales de los personajes y su contexto cultural en
el vivieron y se desarrollaron. El caso que más me impactó fue el de Arthur
Conan Doyle, que fue un creyente convencido en el
espiritismo, incluso contra la evidencia en su contra, a pesar que su personaje
literario, que lo llevó a la cumbre (Sherlock Holmes) se basó en su capacidad
de observación y razonamiento deductivo, aunque como veremos en el libro
también explica o señala las posibles causas de su cercanía al espiritismo por
parte del autor.
Sobre este libro me enfoqué puntualmente en una frase de
Voltaire. La frase de la autora referida al filósofo dice: “Entre los escépticos que, como Voltaire,
decían en forma burlona que el charlatanismo nació el día que el primer pícaro
encontró al primer imbécil”. Tomando como base eso, realice un short (video
corto) de 12 segundos para Youtube, y también realicé una caminata para
Wikiloc.
En Capital Federal, existe un pasaje de dos cuadras que rinde
homenaje en su nombre al pesador, el Pasaje
Voltaire. También la ciudad posee una escultura denominada “La Duda” (o Le Doute), una obra del
artista francés Henri Michel Antoine Chapu., que refiere a la “duda voltariana”.
Duda
voltariana: ejercicio de la sospecha metódica llevada al terreno de la
ironía y el sentido común. La duda contra la "verdad absoluta", el
rechazo a los sistemas cerrados y la función social de la duda como un acto de
tolerancia. La actitud crítica y escéptica que Voltaire promovía frente a las
creencias establecidas, especialmente las religiosas y supersticiosas. Una
actitud permanente de mantener una vigilancia crítica, un “no dar nada por
sentado”.
Ficha Técnica de la Crónica.
Libro: Historias de lo sobrenatural, Vivianne Perrot (Editorial El Ateneo, 2014).
Contenido: Short de edición personal, basado en una selección de textos del autor.
Créditos de Imagen:
Retrato de Voltaire: Maurice Quentin de La Tour (Dominio Público).
Fotografía de cierre: De mi autoría (Registro urbano, Buenos Aires).
Keychain. Province of Entre Ríos Keychain collecting, or copoclephilia, is often mistaken for the
mere accumulation of souvenirs. However, for those of us who view the object as
a document, each piece is a fragment of frozen time. Keychain obtained at a
roadside stop along Route 14 in Entre Ríos, 1992. Handcrafted leatherwork. That
pear shape, achieved through the joining of leather segments.
It appears to be an organically manufactured
specimen, far from the mass industrial production that dominates today’s
market. Its main body is a pear made of bovine leather, assembled by stitching
together segments with a rustic dark-thread running stitch. Decades have given
the material a cinnamon-colored patina, revealing a porous and authentic
texture.
The defining details of its character are:
Fruit iconography: It
features a motif of hand-painted peaches. The strokes are direct, with
greens in the leaves and a gradient of oranges and pinks in the fruit,
revealing the artisan’s pulse.
Calligraphy: On the reverse, a black ink
inscription reads: “Rdo. de E. Ríos 1992.” It is not printed typography;
it is handwritten calligraphy.
Structure: The upper finish consists
of a simple metal fitting, a short-link chain, and a traditional ring,
maintaining sobriety.
Keychain. Province of Córdoba. Mina Clavero.
This keychain is not just a functional accessory;
it is a micro-object of memory. Its design seeks to emulate the experience of a
family photo album or an archival folder, but reduced to a minuscule scale.
Acquired in the Traslasierra Valley, Córdoba, it stands as a testimony to the
aesthetics of the analog souvenir. It is a “wallet” or “portfolio”-style
keychain that condenses the geography of Mina Clavero into just a few square
centimeters.
Morphology and Materials
The Case: Made of faux leather (vinyl or PVC) with
stitching or heat-sealed edges. The brown color imitates genuine leather,
giving it the air of a formal “leather goods” item.
The Cover: Features a golden band with
the inscription “Rdo. de M. Clavero” (Souvenir of Mina Clavero). The
abbreviation is typical of the era, used to save space in hot stamping.
The Closing System: Uses a
flap with a snap button (or simple fitting) that protects the contents
from pocket wear.
The Content: Miniature Photochromy The most valuable element is the accordion of images. These photos are
usually printed on lightweight coated paper.
Technique: They are reproductions of
postcards from the time. In the case of Mina Clavero, they often depict
the Río de los Sauces, the Los Cedros Spa, or the Altas Cumbres.
Representation: Before the digital era,
this object allowed the traveler to “carry the landscape” with them. It
was a form of social proof: when taking out the keys, the owner showed
where they had been.
Body of the Entry
The nostalgia of faux leather: The
object simulates being a miniature luxury item.
Aesthetic – The visual unfolding: Upon
opening, we find a photographic “accordion.” Each fold is a window onto a
spa or a panoramic point in the sierras. The faux leather imitates real
leather, evoking durability and elegance, while the unfolding mechanism
recalls old tourist brochures.
Collector’s value:
Finding one with intact photos and no moisture damage is a feat of
historical preservation.
Text: “M. Clavero” on the cover, reinforcing its
identity as a regional souvenir.
Hybrid object: It is not only a keychain
but also a portable visual archive.
Symbolic value: It unites the everyday
(carrying keys) with the extraordinary (remembering a trip).
Narrative: Each photo is a fragment of
landscape that, when unfolded, constructs a miniature tourist story.
Conclusion
This keychain is
not just plastic and paper; it is a time capsule. It represents an era when the
visual record of travel was tangible, physical, and fit perfectly in the palm
of your hand.
Keychain. Uruguay.
The miniature rebenque. This is a
rebenque-style keychain, acquired along the coastal area of the Maldonado
department, Uruguay. Lightweight yet loaded with resonances. It still has the mark of the price tag. The piece
reproduces a rebenque—that instrument of gaucho tradition—scaled down
and transformed into a portable souvenir. The braided cord evokes the rusticity
of rural materials, while the small leather piece bears, handwritten, the name
of the country: URUGUAY.
I wonder whether this object originates from a
craft workshop, with hands repeating inherited gestures, or if it comes from
industrial production that imitates gaucho aesthetics for tourism.
The artisanal argument: The
irregularity of the pyrography on the leather and the tension of the
braiding suggest the manual work of a soguero, someone replicating
real rural tools at miniature scale.
The industrial argument: The
uniformity of certain finishes could indicate serial production for the
tourist market along the Uruguayan coast.
Whatever its exact origin, the keychain functions
as a symbol of cultural resistance. Carrying a rebenque in one’s pocket
is, in some way, carrying a fragment of rural history into urban chaos.
Keychain.
Güemes Museum. The keychain and pin from the Güemes Museum.
A tribute to the General: The keychain and pin from the Güemes Museum I walk through the Güemes Museum shop, in the city of Salta, and stop in front of objects that condense memory into miniature form. I choose a keychain: a metallic circle bearing the museum’s name and institutional logo alongside the figure of a federal gaucho. "The soldiers’ uniform is good and simple and corresponds to what they are accustomed to wearing. They wear a red wool shirt, chiripá, and a red barracks cap, with white bandoliers. They are all cavalry, for one cannot expect a gaucho to go anywhere without his horse, although sometimes they are also used in the infantry." <https://www.revisionistas.com.ar/?p=13306>
The image becomes a portable reminder of history, a fragment that accompanies
my keys and my wanderings.
Alongside it, I also add the museum pin. What makes this piece special is its image: a reproduction of the postage stamp issued in 1985. It is the commemorative stamp marking the 200th anniversary of the birth of Martín Miguel de Güemes, a philatelic tribute that now transforms into a portable collectible object.
<https://www.filateliaargentina.com.ar/stamp/martin-miguel-de-guemes/>
Within the circle of the pin is inscribed the memory of the Argentine Republic and the figure of the gaucho hero, riding as if he could never be separated from his horse.
Keychain. Phillips.
A promotional keychain from the nineties. The keychain appears as a small red padlock (minimalist aesthetic), an advertising piece from the Phillips brand, born in the first half of the 1990s. On the front, the word “Luz” (“Light”) is printed, as if clarity itself could be carried in a pocket. Its shape imitates a padlock: just pull upwards and it opens, revealing a simple yet effective mechanism.
Phillips, a Dutch technology company founded in 1891. The most interesting aspect of this piece is not only its graphic design but also its mechanism. Unlike conventional metal rings, this model imitates the form of a padlock. The system is simple but ingenious: you pull the metallic arch upwards to release the lock and allow the keys to be inserted.
This object, originally conceived as a marketing strategy, now becomes a capsule of memory. The white typography on a gray background, the horizontal lines accompanying the word, and the wear at the bottom speak of the passage of time and the persistence of materials.
Keychain. Province of San Luis. A fragment of the province.Souvenir from San Luis.
The silhouette corresponds to the province of San Luis, carved in stone I recognize as green onyx. This keychain is not merely a utilitarian object; it is a mineral testimony. It is a piece of green onyx (onyx marble), whose texture and translucent green tone reveal its origin almost immediately.
The piece presents the unmistakable outline of the province of San Luis. On its front face, a hand-engraved inscription reads: “Recdo. de San Luis”—a simple inscription that condenses the memory of the journey. The polished texture and brownish veins confirm its origin; it is artisanal work that directly evokes the area of La Toma, the provincial capital of onyx, where since 1960 the stone has been transformed into art.
Details of the piece.
Material: Green onyx, possibly extracted from the
famous Santa Isabel quarry.
Aesthetic: Features soft veins and a
polished surface that plays with light, a characteristic that makes this
stone unique in the world.
Craftsmanship: The manual engraving gives
it an organic character, distancing it from industrial mass production.
This type of craftwork is a regional classic; onyx is commonly used in jewelry, small figurines, and ashtrays, but in the format of a keychain it achieves a perfect synthesis between tourist souvenir and collectible piece. It is, in essence, a fragment of San Luis soil carved to travel in the pocket, turning the map into a talisman.
