by Camelia Enăchioiu
The playground located in the airport is in fact a small scale replica of the ground is not an accurate name for this space, which is rather a huge installation based on children’s literature, illustrations, dioramas and object design; everything is created based on some scenes from the stories written by Astrid Lindgren, Tove Jansson, Sven Nordqvist and Per Gustavsson. In other words, this is a mixture of art aiming to increase the children`s interest for books, but also to stimulate their sense of responsibility. How exactly is this done? By using the idea that everything can be touched, every miniature object that sits nicely on the shelves can be moved, felt, analyzed, but all things must be taken care of and put back in their places, without damaging them.
The largest space belongs to writer Astrid Lindgren, the winner of the Alma prize - that is the Nobel’s equivalent in children`s literature. Based on her stories, a true magical land was re-created here and it can be widely watched from the red wagons of a train that slowly moves among the tens of dioramas created using Marit Törnqvist`s illustrations. In 1994, the Dutch artist accepted the challenge to create a tridimensional story, by drawing some of the scenes in the book and following the construction of the entire scenography, on a 1000 square meterwide and 7 meter tall surface. In 1996, she was still working on this project and, for three weeks, every morning at 8 o`clock, Marit has rode her bike up to 46, Dalagatan Street in Stockholm, carrying a box of cookies. Here lived Astrid, 89 years of age, who wrote during that time her last text – the text delivered for train travelling.
The concept is very popular in Sweden and, though it may be a reminder of a smaller scale Disney`s world, it places a much greater emphasis on reading. Six persons are trying to bring this concept also to Bucharest, under the name Harap-Alb, focusing on the world imagined by Ion Creangă and illustrated by the artist Irina Dobrescu. The initiators of
the project are three Romanians and three Swedish: Arina Stoenescu, Arts Director and designer, Staffan Götestam –
producer, founder of the Junibacken concept, Fairytale Holding, Teodor Frolu – architect, Raluca Demetrescu – artist, Mario Kuibus – architect, Emmi Gereb & Florin Găinar – web developers and photographers. They have identified a possible location, the Electrical Factory Filaret and mayor Sorin Oprescu agreed with this idea. The project is broad, and the necessary financing is quite high. Therefore, the six need to focus on fundraising. European money is one of the most important sources and the team shall apply for several funds, but they will also consider obtaining loans and approaching private investors.
Likewise the Swedish project, the illustrations are of most importance. That is the reason why the team of six has started collaboration with the National Romanian Library and the Illustrators Club, but also with the Swedish designer Tor Svae, who is well known and appreciated in Sweden.
There are many things still to be done until the project is up and running because, though it is based on stories, the process to create the space is not by far a children`s play.
