iShells

The idea for the iShells, like many of Joana Astolfi’s works, emerged from humor, everyday observation, and a poetic critique of modern habits.

According to interviews with her, the inspiration came from the contrast between the constant noise of technology—mobile phones and music in earbuds—and the natural, soothing sound of the sea heard inside a shell.

She explained that one day she was watching people in the street with their white iPhone earbuds, all “closed off in their own worlds,” and she thought of creating an object that was both ironic and poetic: instead of listening to music or digital noise, one would hear the eternal sound of the sea—the sound you hear when you press a shell to your ear.

It was also a light-hearted critique of the consumerism of the “iPhone generation” and its disconnection from nature. Like many of her pieces, the iShells blend nostalgia, irony, and delicacy.