Circular Souvenirs reconsiders one of tourism’s most ubiquitous artifacts: the souvenir. Ten Dutch architects were asked to propose new iterations of cheap and popular Venetian souvenirs, with a focus on circular design principles.
The souvenirs are available in several souvenir stores around Venice, as well as at the VOLUME folly in the Giardini.

The Architectural model outlet
By NUDUS, Rotterdam

Almost all Venetian souvenirs are mass produced. Mass production erases any trace of personality that buyers might hope for. There is a disheartening parallel to our building industry, where mass production is equally rampant. The architectural model outlet offers unique fridge magnets made from handcrafted architecture sketch models by different Dutch architects that are gathering dust in our storage racks. Each item is signed by the author, highlighting the importance of originality and enhancing its exclusivity.

Flooded Venice
By ZUS [Zones Urbaines Sensibles], Rotterdam

Venice bulges under the pressures of tourism and climate change. The Flooded Venice water globe shows the disparity in scale between the historical architecture of the city and the supersized scale of contemporary tourism, while the lagoon’s sea level rises and rises…

AS FOUND
By XML, Amsterdam

The AS FOUND keychain consists of a 3D-printed fixture that is joined with discarded Venetian construction materials, such as Istrian limestone and terracotta bricks. Each piece is uniquely shaped by its past, featuring textures and colors that reflect Venice’s historic charm while also giving new life to the city’s architectural remnants that would otherwise have become construction waste.

Venetian Mugshots
By MISC., Amsterdam

The statues, gargoyles, mascarons and keystones on bridges, houses and towers of Venice are the silent witnesses of Venetian history. Unimpressed by the great mass of tourists under which the city seems to succumb today, they continue to look sullenly in place, year in and year out. The Venetian Mugshots are a nod to these demons and guardians, gods and fauns and an invitation to look closer at the facades and details of Venetian buildings in search of these inhabitants.

Re-veil
by Inside Outside, Amsterdam

Despite all our digital communication, postcards remain a charming way to stay connected. In an era dominated by instant messages, photos, and video calls, they are tangible reminders of a place visited— a collection of memories for home. Movement is a fundamental characteristic of Inside Outside’s work, creating changing landscapes, dancing curtains and dynamic routes. We created an image that bridges history and modernity, tradition and provocation, reinventing the souvenir postcard.

Circular shirts
By Superuse Studio, Rotterdam

Souvenir T-shirts are a popular way to remember a trip or special experience. Featuring iconic landmarks, local slogans, or cultural symbols, they serve as wearable keepsakes that let you take a piece of their journey home. We combine two pre-owned t-shirts into one new signature Venice t-shirts – joined at the waist they reflect on the challenges of climate change and rising sea levels, while a Venetian silkscreen adds local color.

DODECAHEDRON
By la-di-da, The Hague, with Re3 Glass (Telesilla Bristogianni and Faidra Oikonomopoulou), Delft, and Marc Barreda, Eindhoven.

Every Venetian glass, window and television screen is made of melted-down-sand, the world’s second most consumed natural resource, and non-renewable. Sand extraction causes erosion, flooding, salinisation, and damage to coastal ecosystems, such as those of the Venetian lagoon. We will have to reuse much more of our glass in the near future. Prismatic forms, such as the dodecahedron from the mosaic of the San Marco, show the material quality of reused glass.

Venetian Patches
By Studio Nauta, Rotterdam

Venetian patches presents a pseudo ironic and critical take in which typical popular Venetian aesthetics and souvenir culture collide with the current urgencies the city faces in times of climate change and mass tourism.

From China to Venice to China to Venice with Love
By HanHe studio & Tsinghua University School of Architecture EPMA

On China’s most popular online market platform Xianyu (闲鱼), affectionately titled ‘fish market’, there is a lively secondhand trade of souvenirs from all over the globe. We collected Venetian/Italian souvenirs bought by Chinese tourists and sold on this platform with specific recommendations and descriptions by the sellers. We recrafted, upcycled and froze each souvenir in time using a transparent cast, with a personal love letter by each maker as a mark of authenticity.

Resent Cards
By Falsework, Rotterdam / Brussels

Resent Cards reintroduces lapsed mementoes into the souvenir cycle. Vintage postcards, washed up on flea markets after being sent to friends and loved ones many decades ago, are brought back to Venice and prepped for another departure – this time carrying a hastily scribbled yet heartfelt message even before they are purchased. As a growing collection of resent cards it also reflects on the long-standing tradition of tourism in Venice. All one has to do is to replace the address on the back of the card. Resent Cars will also feature an investigative research effort with a simple website showing the overview of all the found cards, and their location.

Saluti da VenezIA
By Paolo Cardini, Rhode Island

By feeding a text-to-image AI the same prompt in different languages, this project reveals how cultural biases shape visual outcomes. Each postcard becomes a distorted mirror, reflecting algorithmic assumptions, linguistic privilege, and embedded cultural stereotypes. What emerges is not Venice, but a version tuned to expectations—subtly shaped by language, and echoing familiar cultural filters.

Visit the Circular Souvenirs

Discover the ten souvenirs at the VOLUME folly in the Giardini.
And when you are in Venice, you can buy the Circular Souvenirs in these stores:

Fallani Venezia
Location
Fallani Venezia is an artistic screen printing workshop, active since 1968 in the heart of Venice.

More stores will be added soon!