Don't Open the Door To Anyone!

"I am not allowed to let anyone in. The dwarfs have forbidden me to do so."

Note: It's SO VERY HOT HERE! I'm afraid I was out of prescheduled blog posts the past few days to cover for me while I couldn't get to writing but I have lots of fairy tale news to catch up on! Bear with me while I juggle all the crazy and the health-challenges - there will be news a-plenty to read very shortly. In the meantime... 

While I was searching for images to use for the Snow White slideshow/retelling I found this amazing lock I have to share. Note it took SEVEN YEARS to complete. There's that number again.

The lock was made by an German-born, American ironworker (I would say artist), who worked his way into the Arts & Crafts Society of Boston. This was prior to Disney's Snow White (which was 1937) so the combination of German heritage, minus any strongly influential media representations of Snow White makes for a Germanic representation - with an American Arts and Crafts twist.

In the (very) old book Art and Progress Vol 4 (from 1913), the text refers to the lock, stating: "...Koralewsky's great wrought-iron lock, designed to illustrate the fairy tale of "Snow-White and Rose-Red", is one of the features of display of ironwork." Oops. Clearly the lock is Little Snow White, not Snow White and Rose Red, but even the official museum information today has a small print caveat under the information saying that information is constantly being updated on this piece. I'd love to know why it was made (beyond "it was a gift"). Why so intricate, why a fairy tale and why this fairy tale?)

If Snow White had such a metal-worked lock, care of her little guardians, it may have effectively stopped her from lifting that latch... It would certainly stop me in my tracks every time I approached the door! (Though Snow White doesn't actually open the door, doing as she was told, to receive the apple at the last in the Grimm's telling. Instead she reaches through the window. Apparently we'd need a complementary window latch...)

There's very little information available (that my google-fu can find anyway), except for what the museum has posted next to the artifact itself:

(Designed/created by) Frank L. KoralewskyAmerican, born Germany, 1872-1941Lock, 1911Iron with inlays of gold, silver, bronze, and copper on wood base50.8 x 50.8 x 20.3 cm (20 x 20 x 8 in.)"Fkoralewsky" on iron surface; "FK" inlaid in copper
Gift of Mr. Richard T. Crane, 1926.521 

Frank L. Koralewsky served as a traditional ironworker’s apprentice in his native north-German town of Stralsund. After obtaining journeyman status, he worked in various German shops before immigrating to Boston in the mid- 1890s. By 1906 he was a member of the Boston Society of Arts and Crafts, specializing in locksmithing and hardware. This extremely intricate lock, which took seven years to complete, exemplifies the early-20th-century taste for sentimental medievalism and represents the pinnacle of the metalworking tradition at the turn of the 20th century. Exhibited at the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, where it won a gold medal, the lock illustrates Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm’s fairy tale “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.”— Permanent collection label

Here is the handle (which you can see at the top in the straight-on views), depicting a dragon. I'm also curious as to why the artist chose a dragon...

By the way, can you find the seven dwarfs? They're all there but there's a trick to it...*

I believe the lock is currently on display at the Art Institute in Chicago (the last information I could find was posted in December 2012 but it's in the current artifact/information for this museum so I will have to assume this is here it's currently on exhibit).

I found one other carving by Koralewsky (called a "steel carving", though it appears to be wood) from an old museum catalog but apparently this is not on display anywhere. You can see a similar style to the characters and scene. There's no title, no information, other than that it's by Koralewsky and that it has the tags "metal work" and "craftsman". It looks very much like a tale - with a horse and a King and possibly a mouse (see bottom of the tree) as well as some blacksmiths but I don't know what tale it is.

You can see a selection of amazing and intricate locks by various artists HERE, though the Snow White lock by Koralewsky is the only fairy tale themed one. (Other examples of his work can be found HERE.)

Amazing, yes?

*The seventh dwarf is hidden inside the lock. Now wouldn't that make for an interesting twist to the story?

Briar Rose Yogurt Ghost & Other Kitchen Tales by Natalie Eve Garrett

Natalie Eve Garrett has done it again!

This is her Briar Rose Yogurt Ghost  - a representation of the story that doesn't shy away from how "sticky" things can get when you're fighting your way through briar hedges to your goal.

I think I'm going to start calling Ms. Garrett's cooking-and-condiment adventures "Natalie's Kitchen Tales", because there's something you may not know about her. Not only does she create fairy tales out of yogurt but she infuses her baking with tales too. I have no doubt that everything from her kitchen tastes more delicious than it should, just because of the care and story she folds into her ingredients. Just look at the way this woman cooks!

Here's part of her recipe for The "I Dare You" Chickpeanutbutter-and-Honey Bars:

Once upon a time, there was a piece of straw, a piece of coal, and darling little bean who escaped from an old lady who wanted to kill them. They banded together and set off on an adventure. When they came upon a brook, only the bean stayed behind. The straw and the coal tried to help one another across, and they both “died”, and then their pal, the bean, watching from the shore, laughed so hard he exploded. But then a wandering tailor saved him! Whaaat? The moral of the story is that beans are crazy. 

...Fresh out of the oven, ohhhh, and they’re just so pretty, too, and filling, and perfect for breakfast, though I confess to an alarming tendency to snack on them all day. 

Somewhere, a crazy little bean is laughing. Just not in my house...

[That's a darling and funny Grimm's tale by the way. If you don't know it, go read it now. HERE. It's short, and sweet - like Natalie's recipe.]

Or the way this recipe begins for her The Lentil-Coconut-Oatmeal Cookie Bars (Psst! MOOC people! Pay attention to this one!):

They took her beautiful clothes away from her, dressed her in an old gray smock, and gave her wooden shoes. "Just look at the proud princess! How decked out she is!" they shouted and laughed as they led her into the kitchen.There she had to do hard work from morning until evening, get up before daybreak, carry water, make the fires, cook, and wash. Besides this, the sisters did everything imaginable to hurt her. They made fun of her, scattered peas and lentils into the ashes for her, so that she had to sit and pick them out again. In the evening when she had worked herself weary, there was no bed for her. Instead she had to sleep by the hearth in the ashes. 

Despite the heat, the mess, and the inevitable Cinderella-esque cleanup for the scattered lentils, it’s totally worth it to make these bars. 

...Like the I DARE YOU cookies, the lentils magically disappeared into them. Where do they GO? Only Cinderella knows....

Note - click on the recipe names to go to the part that has all the ingredients and the mix-how. From all reports, Natalie has great taste (pun intended) and always emphasizes the nom-worthiness.

I must confess, I'm not a real foodie but I would LOVE to hang out in Natalie's kitchen for an afternoon (or three), listen to her tell her tales as she bakes, watch her smear food into stories onto her counter and partake of any yumminess after!

Good food plus good stories? Sounds like a recipe for happiness in many parts of the world, including mine.
Keep cooking up your stories Natalie! We love them. ♥

Note: Shared with permission by Ms. Garrett & the Hairpin

Natalie Eve Garrett is an artist who likes disgustingly good food. You can follow her on Twitter, here, and on Pinterest, here. Prints of her art are for sale here.

Anvita: Awakening To The Art of Indian Classical Dance With Sleeping Beauty

Note: I began writing a post, only to realize the whole article was so interesting I didn't want to leave any of it out. Rather than pick and choose I contacted Knight Arts Blog and Ms. Warier who kindly gave consent to reproduce the whole article here.

Classic fairytale reawakens with a twist: Indian dance group to perform “Sleeping Beauty”
By RANJANA WARIER, Rhythms School of Dance

Nearly everyone knows the story behind the famed children’s fairy tale “Sleeping Beauty,” but an energetic new adaption of the classic story could help promote a new level of cultural understanding. The Rhythms School of Dance will present two performances August 31 and September 1 that will use the beloved story to help showcase the beauty of traditional Indian classical dance.

Artistic Director Ranjana Warier says using a familiar story like a fairy tale provides a creative way to connect Indian traditions with other cultures. “The problem with traditional Indian dance is that it is abstract and obscure. There are symbolisms and complex codes and if you are not familiar with all these details, it’s hard to stay engaged. This dance drama puts customs into a story that people already know very well. Instead of highlighting the differences, the performance will show our similarities,” said Warier.

“Few things like the arts can bring people together, providing the kinds of collective experiences that build great communities,” said Dennis Scholl, VP/arts at Knight Foundation. “By providing a hybrid performance, the Rhythms School of Dance will provide a way for our diverse community to connect and celebrate all that our various cultures have to offer.”

As a 2012 Knight Arts Challenge Miami winner, Warier has brought together a team of professional Indian classical dancers and advanced students for the production, which will include English narration to help make the ancient Indian art form understandable. The colorful and high energy show is ideal for all ages and will also include a surprise twist at the end. There will also be a lecture series surrounding the performances to demystify the complexity of traditional Indian storylines.

Ranjana Warier was introduced to Indian classical dance at the age of six and thrives on preserving and promoting India’s artistic traditions. She has performed at events worldwide and says dance is a wonderful way to breakdown cultural barriers. “South Florida, like India, is a melting pot of cultures coming together. People are recognizing a lot of things they haven’t been open to before because of the beautiful diverse opportunity here,” Warier said.

The performances will be held August 31 and September 1 at the Rose and Alfred Miniaci Performing Arts Center, located at 3100 Ray Ferrero Jr. Blvd. on the campus of Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale.  The show will begin at 6 p.m. Tickets are $20, $30 and $40 and can be purchased by calling 954-462-0222 or at www.miniacipac.com. For more information, contact Ranjana Warier at 954-472 6004 or by email at info@erhythms.net.

This article was reposted with permission from Ranjana Warier, originally published on the Knight Arts blog. 

Note: Anvita is an Indian girl's name meaning "understood".

Art: Doré Engravings With Flowers Are Creeping Me Out!

Say WHAT with flowers??!

These greeting cards by Maria Mikhhalskaya's 8th of March, fairy tale greeting cards-with-a-twist*, are causing a twist in my gut... and I think that's the point. The 8th of March is International Women's Day and these special greetings make you think about it all rather differently, don't they?

Put in a malevolent context, flowers can be very creepy...

For instance, look at Bluebeard's eyes above, as he's giving his latest bride/victim a wooing gift. *shudder*

And the Ogre from Tom Thumb talking to his wife, looking very much like he's asking her to cook Tom and his brothers with these lovely herbs:

And, of course, how like a fairy tale wolf to twist the deception one step further when approaching his prey, bringing her flowers to confuse her - perhaps the very sorts of flowers Little Red had been gathering when he met her earlier...

Well done Ms. Mikhhalskaya! You've made me think about these tales in a different way, yet again. (And I will also look at any flowers I receive in the future a tad suspiciously...)

You can find Maria Mikhhalskaya's greeting cards and more on her gallery at Behance HERE.

* If the images look familiar, they should. They're based on/are made using Gustav Doré's engravings for Perrault's fairy tales.

LX Magazine's Tribute to 200th Anniversary of Grimms Household Tales - Rumpelstilzchen (Tale 4 of 5)

"Rumpelstiltskin" An artwork piece by Mandy Smith (mandysmithwork.com) Dress created in baking paper and the wheel cardboard. Room and props all designed, created and painted by hand. Photography Leon Hendrickx, Model Dorothy Bany, MakeupArtist Anita Jolles

Tale four from the 200th Anniversary Grimm's Household Tales Tribute by Lx Magazine: Illuminating Luxury. Take special note of the caption and credit above! A dress made from baking paper! Gold from straw, I mean, paper!! Beautiful work and shows you that if you put your mind to it, the magic will come... Enjoy.

- FTNH aka Fairy Tale News Hound aka Gypsy

Rumpelstilzchen - Rumpelstiltskin

“There was once a poor Miller who had a beautiful daughter, and one day, having to go to speak with the King, he said, in order to make himself appear of consequence, that he had a daughter who could spin straw into gold. The King was very fond of gold, and thought to himself, ‘That is an art which would please me very well;’ and so he said to the Miller, ‘If your daughter is so very clever, bring her to the castle in the morning, and I will put her to the proof.’ ”

You can read the full tale as published in Grimms Household Tales HERE (translated to English) and learn much more about Rumpelstiltskin's history HERE.

The final tale text and photo will be posted next week!

(Links below to all posts in this series will be updated as posts go live.)

                                                                                                                    ♚

*** TALE 1 *** TALE 2 *** TALE 3 *** TALE 4 *** TALE 5 *** 

Yogurt-Ghost Fairy Tales by Natalie Eve Garrett

The Juniper Tree (Yogurt-Ghost Fairy Tale) by Natalie Eve Garrett

Yes. Fairy tale art in yogurt. Some artists, visionaries, oracles, call them what you will,  work in tea leaves, others in eggs, some in entrails but this one sees visions in yogurt.

Red Riding Hood by Natalie Eve Garrett
Heh - she's in a hot sauce cloak! Great pun. And more of a challenge for the Wolf methinks. ;)

Apparently fine artist Natalie Eve Garrett not only works in regular paint media but also (it appears) in soy sauce, molasses and Sriracha (hot sauce) with a pinch of this and a pinch of that for details...  but primarily it all begins with yogurt. You could say these are kitchen-inspired fairy tales, edible tales, consumable tales, transient tales and interestingly also you could say they're corruptible tales... because these are, quite literally ALIVE!

Goldilocks by Natalie Eve Garrett

Swirling her condiments into wonderful little tales, she regularly posts her edible art on one of my new favorite online places to visit, The Hairpin, and has (happily for us) created a two-part series (so far) of fairy tale yogurt surprises that she shared.

The Willful Child by Natalie Eve Garrett

The ephemeral nature of these little pieces makes us want to consider these tales in a different, more direct manner than usual, way. And this is especially so considering the ones she's chosen to create: Goldilocks, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, The Juniper Tree, The Willful Child, The Little Mermaid.

The Little Mermaid by Natalie Eve Garrett

The visceral nature of the tales becomes self-evident when you see them portrayed in a medium that spoils so quickly and is, in truth, breaking down to it's elements before your (very) eyes.

Juniper Tree (detail) by Natalie Eve Garrett

Whatever the case, this art definitely has an expiration date so we're very grateful for cameras to capture the awesome so we can share.

Rapunzel by Natalie Eve Garrett

I highly recommend clicking on the links - HERE for Part I & HERE for Part II - to see the detail photos (it's really quite amazing). A different perspective (and serendipitous reflection) on a close-up on Rapunzel gives you a whole new insight to the story:

Rapunzel detail by Natalie Eve Garrett

There's another very cool thing about this medium I wanted to share. Like sand animation (but more messy and less forgiving) certain stories can be illustrated with a vibrancy a static painting just doesn't hold.

Like this, in The Siamese Hair-Twin Ghosts (read the captions for the story):

Once upon a time there were two ghosts connected only by their hair. They got along well, and mostly didn't mind being bound together. 

But sometimes one wanted braids and the other wanted to wear her hair down, and they'd silently shriek and pull their hair...

... until they were all tangled up in knots.  

About herself and her work Natalie says:

I'm interested in making work that conveys a sense of humor and magic, with a disarming twist. 
I grew up outside Washington, D.C., and was influenced by tangles of woods, The Brother's Grimm, the Blue Ridge Mountains and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. After studying art at Yale, I went on to receive my MFA from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Design. Currently I live and work in a little town outside D.C. along the Potomac River. My art can be seen regularly on TheHairpin.com and in private collections.

I highly recommend browsing her posts on The Hairpin for other yogurt-surprises. She has a sharp yet whimsical sense of humor and it's just delightful to see.

Snow White by Natalie Eve Garrett

And I want more. ("MORE??!?") Yes! Please?

(I will also NEVER look at my condiments the same way again...)

Natalie's website is HERE, her Etsy shop is HERE and The Hairpin, where she can often be found, is HERE.

PS Aw- snap! I see Neatorama JUST postsed these today. (At this writing.) Never mind - the more people see Ms. Garrett's condiment creativity, the more she'll be inspired to do (we hope!). If you like her work, be sure to let her know.

New Red Riding Hood Portrait by Soey Milk for "Fiction" Contemporary Exhibition

  "If you’re an avid reader, you know that the best literary characters seldom stay on the page, but rather climb out and wander around, manifesting themselves in whatever medium they can insinuate themselves into." (Emily Temple for Flavorwire on the new Fiction exhibit)

Modern Eden Gallery in San Francisco have a new exhibition by contemporary artists, envisioning famous literary characters in new ways. I was very glad to see Red Riding Hood among them. Even more interesting is the title the artist (Soey Milk) gave the portrait: Night Flow. As far as I can find, Ms. Milk hasn't made any comments on why she chose to portray Red this way or the reason it's titled the way it is, but perhaps that's for the better, so we can bring our own thought and stories to it.

Night Flow by Soey Milk

Other literary portraits that may be of interest to fairy tale people are Marcovaldo (Italo Calvino), Alice (Lewis Carroll), Wendy Darling (J.M. Barrie), Miss Havisham (Dickens), Morgaine (Marion Zimmer Bradley) and Coraline (Neil Gaiman) - all pictured below (click on exhibit link below to see larger) - as well as characters from The Tell Tale Heart, Moby Dick, Brida and Siddhartha.

You can see them in more detail and read a brief artist bio for each painting for a limited time at the Modern Eden Gallery.

  

LX Magazine's Tribute for the 200th Anniversary of Grimms Household Tales - Intro & Aschenputtel (Tale 1 of 5)

"Cinderella Tale" An artwork piece by Oona Patterson (Oonapatterson.com)
A sculpture crafted and cut in book and paper

Note: I stumbled upon this by complete chance. I still haven't quite figured out what, exactly, this magazine is, apart from "all things luxurious" (and seemingly from another planet I'll never visit) BUT they posted a simple and effective tribute to The Brothers Grimm in honor of the 200th Anniversary of the first publishing of  Household Tales. I don't know if the multi-media presentation will stay online and remain accessible but thought, either way, it would be worth sharing (in installments) seeing as it's very different from most other tributes at the time. (And if you like "lux" you'll probably like the rest of the magazine as well.) Enjoy.

- FTNH aka Fairy Tale News Hound aka Gypsy

Introduction to Die Gebrűder Grimm - 200th Anniversary Tribute for “Kinder- und Hausmärchen” by "Lx Magazine: Illuminating Luxury" - (fairy tale text is also as posted by Lx)

As a brisk, chill wind gusts and snowflakes fall to form drifty peaks this winter, you may want to snuggle up with your loved ones by the warm glow of a fire and tell a story. This year celebrates the 200^th anniversary of The Brothers Grimm (German: Die Gebrűder Grimm) fairy tales. To celebrate, we have collected images and artwork from amazing talent, paired with translated excerpts from the original book, “Kinder- und Hausmärchen” (Children’s and Household Tales) to inspire you as you orate about magical characters from far away lands, scary villains and princes and princesses that fell in love and lived happily ever after. 

"Cinderella" Photography, hair , makeup, styling by Three Nails Photography

Aschenputtel - Cinderella

“The king’s son, who was waiting for her, took her by the hand and danced with her; and, when any one asked her to dance, he said as before, “This lady is dancing with me.” When night came she wanted to go home; and the king’s son went with her, but she sprang away from him all at once into the garden behind her father’s house. In this garden stood a fine large pear-tree; and Cinderella jumped up into it without being seen. Then the king’s son waited till her father came home, and said to him, “The unknown lady has slipped away, and I think she must have sprung into the pear-tree.” The father ordered an axe to be brought, and they cut down the tree, but found no one upon it. And when they came back into the kitchen, there lay Cinderella in the ashes as usual; for she had slipped down on the other side of the tree, and carried her beautiful clothes back to the bird at the hazel-tree, and then put on her little old frock.

The third day, when her father and mother and sisters were gone, she went again into the garden, and said—”Shake, shake, hazel-tree, gold and silver over me!” Then her kind friend the bird brought a dress still finer than the former one, and slippers which were all of gold; and the king’s son danced with her alone, and when any one else asked her to dance, he said, “This lady is my partner.” Now when night came she wanted to go home; and the king’s son would go with her, but she managed to slip away from him, though in such a hurry that she dropped her left golden slipper upon the stairs.
So the prince took the shoe, and went the next day to the king, his father, and said, ‘I will take for my wife the lady that this golden shoe fits.’ ”

"Sisters" photography and concept Kelly Ealy



You can read the full tale as published in Grimms Household Tales HERE (translated to English) and learn much more about Cinderella's history HERE.

I will post the second fairy tale text & photo in about a week.
(Links to future posts to be updated when the posts go live. I hope. :)

        ♚
*** TALE 1 *** TALE 2 *** TALE 3 *** TALE 4 *** TALE 5 ***

Green Hill Arts Hosting Multiple Fairy Tale Events (aka I'm Moving to Devon. I Wish)

Actually, I'd settle for a visit during this coming last week of June. At least for starters. You see, Devon (in the UK) is where Green Hill Arts lives and a LOT of fairy tale goodness happens there all year round. The end of this month, however, is particularly tempting. And if I could go but had to choose only one of the special events, I would choose the Women & Fairy Tales talk (poster shown above, info at link).

Here's the event blurb:

Fairy tales, which we now think of as children's stories, were not originally intended for children at all. Only since the 19th century have the complex, dark, sensual or bawdy tales of the oral tradition been collected, edited, and set down in print in the watered-down forms we are most familiar with today: filled with square-jawed princes and passive princesses who invariably end up living "happily ever after." 

But how many modern readers know that in older versions of Sleeping Beauty, the princess wakes up not with a chaste kiss but with the birth of twins after the prince has come and gone again? Or that Red Riding Hood's wolf demands she takes off her clothes, piece by piece, and join him in bed? Or that Rapuzel's witch first learns of the prince's secret visits when Rapunzel's belly swells with pregnancy? 

 In this talk, Terri will explore the strange, surprising history of the world's most familiar stories -- explaining why these stories have such a hold upon her, and why fairy tales still matter today -- while Howard will regale you dark, old versions of the tales that are a far, far cry from Walt Disney....

Or perhaps I'd choose the Coffee with the Artists event, because there's no way you could avoid talking fairy tales with those guys and I can just imagine all the napkin scribbles left over...

A wonderful opportunity to spend time with these three well-renowned artists who will talk about and show some of their work in an informal and intimate setting whilst you enjoy coffee and delicious cake. 

Hazel Brown is painter, illustrator, and bookmaker whose work has been published The Art of Faery and Lady Cottington's Pressed Fairy Letters. 

Virginia Lee is a painter, sculptor, and illustrator of The Frog Bride, Persephone, and other children's books. She also worked as a sculptor on the set of the Lord of the Ringsfilms. 

David Wyatt has illustrated numerous books including Peter Pan in Scarlet (the first authorized Peter Pan sequel), the bestselling "Larklight" books by Phillip Reaves, and fantasy classics by JRR Tolkien, Philip Pullman, Terry Pratchett, Brian Jacques, and others. 

Terri Windling will join the coffee morning as the discussion moderator. Terri Windling is a collage artist, folklore scholar and an award winning author of over forty books including ‘The Wood Wife’ and ‘Queen Victoria’s Book of Spells’.

But, no. I really, really want  to hear what Terri has to say about "the strange, dark history of fairy tales as stories for adults..."! I'm hoping (please?) that someone will be recording, taping, transcribing, taking notes, pics - something! - from the event so for those of us who can't go can still participate. In absentia. From the outside. After the fact. But still, I know that anything said will be good fodder for fairy tale brain cells and anything we can do to continue that "17thC French Salon" mentality of talking tales among authors, writers and thinkers, would be fantastic.

You know what? If I were in Devon I'd just go to both: scrub floors, collect dishes - heck, I'd clean puppet orifices! - and listen from the kitchen if I absolutely had to!

Let's just break from my fantasizing for a moment to exclaim over the scrumptiousness of all three Green Hill Arts posters!! If they make prints I'll happily purchase a good sized one for my wall. (Hint, hint.)

But that's not all. There are ongoing Midsummer Mythic Artists exhibitions happening right now through August 7 this year!

Midsummer – Saturday 22nd June – Wednesday 7th AugustWalking “widdershins” (counter-clockwise) is the traditional way to enter the realm of myth and enchantment. Come to Green Hill Arts this summer and let us show you the way... 

Widdershins is an exhibition of art works by a group of celebrated and internationally renowned mythical and fantasy artists. 

Dartmoor’s landscape is steeped in magic and mystery and it is home to many artists whose work is inspired by mythic themes. Widdershins showcases the work of those who live on Dartmoor (or have local connections), but whose paintings, sculptures, books and films are known far beyond: Hazel Brown, Neil Wilkinson Cave, Brian Froud, Wendy Froud, Paul Kidby, Alan Lee, Virginia Lee, Rima Staines, Terri Windling, David Wyatt.
Widdershins explores local legends, world myth, folklore and faery tales in diverse, surprising ways... and although it all starts ‘Once Upon a Time’, it is definitely not for children only. In addition to the exhibition itself, we have a full programme of mythic, magical events for adults and children. It includes artists’ talks, book-signings, storytelling, puppetry, music and much more. 

See? Clearly I should be in Devon.


But Devon isn't the only place where the fairy tale fantastic is happening (though, these few weeks, they definitely have the lion's share). Look what I missed announcing earlier this year from Australia:

Apparently there are fairy tale salons (because conversation and exchanging ideas on fairy tales, is an important part of all these) springing up all over the world!

Some lucky Victorians (that is, people at the Monash University in Victoria, Australia, just had their own salon event in May:
In Fairy Land.

You can see an online catalogue/slideshow of the fairy tale rare books they viewed and discussed HERE.

Even better, though, The Monash Fairy Tale Salon is a regular group! (Do they take penpals? Voip-pals? I want in!)

The event from the year before  is shown at right: >>> (screencap only  - links are not clickable sorry) >>>


And HERE's a brief recap of the event on the Storytelling Australia blog.

Sounds fantastic, doesn't it? I would have been there with bells on if I could. (Where's a Tardis when you need one?)

Oh, for a fairy tale passport that would whisk me to fairy tale salons and events all over the world... *sigh*

I'll leave you with an alternate poster for the exhibitions at Green Hill Arts to inspire you (and perhaps, my passport, to get it's act together in time for the Winter Solstice events... or at least Midsummer next next year!).

Herakut: "My What Big Tales You Have!"

"The little giants & the goddess of dreams" - 2nd mural in Lexington KY, USA

Herakut are taking their new fairy tale to the streets, then leaving it there, one chapter at a time...


 The Giant Storybook Project by German street artist-duo Herakut is one of my coolest discoveries of late. The artists are creating a new children's book (chock-full of fairy tale themes), wall by wall around the world.

Waking the Giant from The Giant Storybook Project - Montreal, Canada

The project began in September 2012 and is continuing throughout 2013 so we can watch as the story of Lily, Jay and two giants unfolds (if you're lucky and live in a town they will be painting in - literally!) in murals and on buildings (from warehouses to monasteries) around the globe. Check HERE for some very cool pics on the development of a few different paintings. There is also a fantastic and beautiful promo video below which shows some of the process too.

The Giant Story Book Project - Trailer

If you aren't familiar with Herakut here's a little background from Inspire Me:

1st mural "Lily & the silly monkeys" also in Lexington, KY USA

Herakut is comprised of Hera, a classically trained painter who “creates gestural, emotional figures in a freestyle manner using numerous tools including spray cans, brushes, and her hands.” and Akut, a completely self-taught yet skilled painter, creating hyper-realistic images of animals and flesh using only a spray can. 

Their pieces range from traditional canvases to urban decay art installations / murals and can be seen clear across Europe. Their pieces are loaded with symbolism and context and you’d be hard pressed to stand before their work and not feel a piece of you reach out in appreciation or possibly discomfort. (More on their work, book releases and projects at the Inspire Me link above.)

I've also created a Pinterest board dedicated to their artwork - which includes a number of The Giant Storybook Project pieces - and chose pieces that display their use of symbolism, metaphor, animal people and fairy tale themes in images and words, painted in unexpected urban places. You can see that board HERE.

Miami FL, USA - 8th mural of The Giant Storybook Project

You can follow The Giant Storybook Project (and Herakut) on Facebook HERE, on Pinterest HERE and on Tumblr HERE.

Here's their description from Facebook:

"I am different" painted on side of a monastery in Eresing, Germany

We are Giants and Children and Monkeys and Chameleons. Come along and see our story...

The Giant Storybook Project will follow the creation of a new children's book being created by the internationally-renowned street artist duo Herakut. Launched in September 2012 and continuing through 2013, the project follows the artists as they introduce the story's characters on murals that they are painting around the world. If you're in one of the cities where we're painting, come on by! If not, follow the progress through this (Facebook) page. Either way, get to know Lily, Jay (her brother), the giants, and the other interesting characters as they reveal more of themselves over the coming months!

Jay's Creative Spirit - The Giant Storybook Project installment in Leslieville, Toronto, Canada

And here's an excerpt from Chapter 1; the first draft, of Herakut's Giant Storybook:

They were also involved in the (crazy-popular music event) Coachella, teaming up with Poetic Kinetics Inc. this year in April with their giant (seriously giant!) snail Helix, to help promote their project and spread inspiration.

Helix in the sunset at Coachella 2013

Currently they have completed eleven storybook page murals (I believe Helix's paint does not count as a storybook page) and are working on fundraising projects (via some truly beautiful looking prints, among other things) before they continue traveling, painting, storytelling and inspiring...

"Will power always consume the ones that seek it?"
Possible children´s-book-version of our wall in Rochester, NY.

Here's a list of where the The Giant Storybook Project murals are so far:

Lily & Jay meet up in Kathmandu, Nepal

• Lexington KY, USA (murals 1 & 2)
• Eresing, Germany (3)
• Montreal, Canada (4)
• Toronto, Ontario, Canada (5)
• Rochester NY, USA (6)
• San Francisco CA, USA (7)
• Miami FL, USA (8)
• Melbourne VIC, Australia (9)
• Kathmandu, Nepal (10)
• Lily at Coachella (on Helix) Indio CA, USA (no notes on where Helix can be seen sorry)
• Bad Vilbel, Germany (11)

Print of Lily for fundraising*

Oh and YES! 

There will definitely be a book of The Giant Storybook Project (on the various pages I've linked to, you can see Herakut making mock-ups of how a mural could be adapted for print as a page or double-page spread for a book). It is yet to be named although, really, The Giant Storybook Project seems just fine. :)

The release date is, understandably, yet to be announced. 

"How you do something reveals your talent. Why you do something reveals your character." Lily uses her gift to make gifts. June 2, 2013 - The Giant Storybook Project latest installment: Bad Vilbel, Germany

*The print is (adorably) titled "You know there is something wrong with you if you don't even get along with your imaginary friends."