Trasformandole

Trasformandole is a neologism used in Italian academic and critical discourse to refer to the act of transforming something while maintaining a trace of the original. The term is formed from trasformare (to transform) and le (them) and is typically used in the gerund form, suggesting ongoing action.

Origin and scope: The term appears in discussions of contemporary art, design, and media theory to describe practices that repurpose existing materials or identities into new configurations. It functions as a descriptive label rather than a rigid movement, applied where alteration preserves recognizability or continuity with the source material.

Applications span several fields: in art, artists reassemble discarded objects into sculptures; in design, upcycling and remaking frameworks fit trasformandole; in digital media, transformative works remix and reframe source material.

Critique and reception: Some commentators emphasize ethical and authorship questions raised by trasformare without erasure, while others highlight its potential to challenge strict categories and to foreground material histories.

Related concepts include upcycling, remix culture, metamorphosis, and transformation.