Dvořák's "Rusalka"

Lovely poster from Opera Lyon's 2001 Production of Dvořák's Rusalka

Note: There's LOTS of "linky goodness" in this post, especially good for those who love Russian tales like I do, so go explore and fill your fairy tale soul today. :)

Also: Stars like this: * indicate a corresponding additional note at the bottom of the page.

UPDATE/CORRECTION 12/28/11: Božena Němcová was Czech, not Russian. Thank you to Janu Banu who commented with the correction and Judika who emailed me as well. My sincere apologies! Being mistaken for English and other nationalities myself all the time, I'm embarrassed I rushed finishing my post without double checking - and correcting! - all my facts before going live. Thank you again Janu and Judika for reading and for caring enough to let me know and correct the post.  :)

There is a fairy tale opera scored by famous composer Czech Antonin Dvořák (in 1899) that has recently made a comeback in operatic circles and in February 2012, UBC (University of British Columbia) will be mounting their own beautifully lavish production.

From the UBC promotional copy:

In Dvořák’s version, Rusalka is a water sprite that dwells in a lake. Rusalka has fallen in love with a mortal, a Prince who comes to the forest to swim in the lake. Since she is invisible to the Prince, she desires to take on human form in order to leave the cool waters and live in the sunlight with him. Rusalka’s father, the wise ruler of the lake’s underwater realm, warns her against such a transformation. Despite her father’s warnings, she seeks out the witch, Jezibaba, to fulfill her wish. 

Renee Fleming during a performance of Rusalka by the NY Met

 Rusalka’s desperate longing to experience true love plunges her into an emotional storm heightened beautifully by majestic melodies, including the famously stunning aria, Song to the Moon. In the end, she must choose to make the ultimate sacrifice for love. Rusalka is not only Dvořák’s finest and most enduringly popular opera but also one of the most deeply moving operas of all.

 There is, however, a point of confusion here. The opera has been officially called "Rusalka: The Little Mermaid Story" and the apparent background for it (from the promotional copy) is this:

Rusalka is based on the original Slavic fairy tale of the Little Mermaid. The story was later adapted by Hans Christian Andersen and then by Walt Disney Studios into the 1989 film.

The problem here is that a rusalka is NOT a mermaid and should never be confused with one. There are similarities, such as rusalki (plural) are female water beings (or demons, since their agenda is usually seducing and drowning boys and men) which at first seem to have a lot in common with sirens, though they don't have fish/water animal tails.

Rusalki are actually a type of ghost (ie. they used to be human) and the water-version of willis (another Slavic fairy/spirit seen in the story Giselle, the popular ballet first performed in 1841****). Willis and rusalki are essentially both female ghosts looking for revenge specifically against the men who did them wrong in life, though any man is considered fair game. Rusalka are not completely malicious though. They can find peace and stop their haunting once justice (or revenge) is carried out on their behalf.

From an Australian production of Rusalka

Andersen's Little Mermaid story (first published in 1837), however, is a lot closer to Undine* (or Ondine), than the beings of slavic folklore.


I just looked up Heidi's research on Andersen's Little Mermaid at SurLaLune and she notes this:

While The Little Mermaid contains common fairy tale and folklore elements, especially those about mermaids, this fairy tale is the literary creation of Hans Christian Andersen. The tale has no direct oral predecessor in folklore. 

The closest percursor of the tale is Undine, a story by Friedrich de La Motte Fouque***. Andersen admits to his familiarity and consideration of Undine while writing his Little Mermaid. In many ways, his tale is a direct reaction to the earlier story.

You can read even more on the tale with annotations and many more goodies on The Little Mermaid at SurLaLune with this in mind - in fact, please do!

This gives me stronger footing to be skeptical of this opera's claim on Andersen as in all my reading on Hans Christian Andersen I'd never seen reference to him adapting a rusalka story into The Little Mermaid.

But that doesn't mean Rusalka (by Dvořák) isn't worth seeing/listening to. On the contrary! Wikipedia states this:

The Czech libretto (for Dvořák's "Rusalka") was written by the poet Jaroslav Kvapil^[1] (1868–1950) based on the fairy tales of Karel Jaromír Erben and Božena Němcová.

You can find a synopsis of the story the opera uses HERE and you can learn a little more about one of the fairy tale collectors, Božena Němcová, whose work the libretto was based on HERE. (This is something new to me: a female Russian Czech fairy tale writer and collator/collector from the early 1800's. I have to go find my Russian Slavic fairy tale books and see if her name is on any of them. Considering her list of published works, I'm betting "yes".)


See? Fairy tales and Russian tales and Slovak folklore and legends. :) There are a lot of other elements for fairy tale people to enjoy in this opera too - the story, the costumes and the beautiful score, which includes the famous aria "Song to the Moon". (The link takes you to YouTube where you can hear Sarah Brightman sing a beautiful Italian version of it "La Luna"- I suggest ignoring the visuals for the video though - just listen.)

Bavarian State Opera 2011 version of Rusalka

For a completely different variation on the theme how about this one presented at the Munich Opera Festival this past July, which features a girl in a fish tank? This version has been updated and interestingly twisted in the retelling, causing quite the stir. Rather than distract further from the current post I'll just let you find out for yourself if your interested. The link is HERE.

NY Met production of Rusalka

Dvořák's Rusalka is one of the more romantic stories I've seen involving a rusalka. Usually they're a little more blood thirsty and dark but the emphasis here is definitely more toward "girl from one world seeks to be with her love from another", rather like some selkies (though not all), swan maidens and, yes, little mermaids. 

Opera appears both recent and Russian - source HERE

I have a feeling that although there was some influence between writers and artists at the time, it doesn't seem to account for all the various being produced in different places. It's one of the reasons I've put in so many of the connected dates for various works - to see if you can "unriddle this riddle" a little yourself. Looking at the timeline is very interesting. Perhaps it's a case of "1800's fairy tale zeitgeist" specifically centered on tragic rusalka figures and other water beings such as mermaids. Considering what we're seeing happening in 2011 and 2012 in TV and movies (and even more specifically with Snow White), I wouldn't be at all surprised.

This is not an illustration. It's a "still frame capture" from the 1998 Oscar nominated animated short film "Rusalka", detailed below.

There is one other important related video I'd like to bring to your attention and that's the 1997 gorgeously done animation of Aleksandr Petrov using an incredible (and almost unbelievable!) technique of oil paints on glass for his separate images.  The story is based on a work by Alexander Pushkin from 1819 (it is thought - Pushkin wrote two different Rusalka poems**) and the title is simply "Русалка" or "Rusalka", though it's been mistranslated as "Mermaid" in many places and is completely mesmerizing. It's easy to see why this short had an Oscar nomination in 1998.

There is a wonderful and in-depth blog post HERE about Aleksandr Petrov's film and about rusalki which I highly recommend. It includes Pushkin's poem and explains things in a very easy-to-read manner.


Performances of the UBC production Rusalka begin on February 9th, 2012 at the Chan Center for Performing Arts in Vancouver. You can find more information about it and the artists involved HERE.

*Which was beautifully illustrated by Sir Arthur Rackham. Some of my favorite fairy tale illustrations of all time are Rackham's Undine drawings. Today's bonus: a video of Rackham's Undine drawings, including the cover of the book. Enjoy.

** Pushkin's second but unfinished poem bears a strong resemblance to the opera which is the subject of today's post.

*** Undine, a story by Friedrich de La Motte Fouque is from 1811.

**** The ballet Giselle debuted in 1841 and was based on at least two other works: De l'Allemagne by Heine, written in 1833 and Victor Hugo's Orientales published in 1829).

Fairy Tale Photography by Irina Istratova

Irina Istratova is an artist from the Ukraine who has a preference for the dark side but this photographer/photomanipulator/digital artist has also produced some lovely fairy tale-like pieces. 

I like that despite her obvious preference for the dark and morbid side of things she shares this ultra romantic tale on her profile of how she met her husband. I have to wonder if meeting him inspired her to work on some of the fairy tale romantic images posted here. :)

Irina Istratova

You can see more of her work HERE and HERE (but of course, remember you will see some 'dark' work there too).

A Very Merry Fairy Tale Christmas To You All!

Don't you love this tale-tree? All that's missing is the star...

While I do love having a tree to decorate the season with, I'm imagining all the books above are fairy tale volumes - of course! - so I'm sure I could find a niche for a decoration like this... ;)

To all my friends and readers of all cultures, traditions and beliefs: may the best of the season be yours, with all the good things possible shown to us in fairy tales. May your own tales in the coming year reflect the triumph of goodness and love with happy beginnings, middles and endings too.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Fire Wolves and Happy Snow Golems...

... and a continuing happy holidays to all!

Since seeing the Adventure Time Thanksgiving special (title: "Thank You") with the snow golem and firewolf puppy, my son has insisted we watch it almost every day since - and I'm still not sick of it. (Neither is my son - obviously.) Now every story told here has to have a fire-wolf puppy in it. "Jack and his Fire-wolf Climb the Beanstalk (& Set A Giant's Castle On Fire)" is kind of a cute story.

Really.

Fire wolves work with everything. :)

And that includes Christmas (and whatever holiday/s you are celebrating this season), which is why I couldn't resist posting the oh-so-cute drawing at the head of the post when I found it. (Thank you Mari! It's gorgeous.)

May joy find you when you least expect it this season...

 as well as when you do...

and may you have those you love close by...

to warm your heart...

until you're a happy, happy puddle. 

;)

Article: From Werewolf Hunters to Rights Activists: Updating Fairy Tale Heroines by Marissa Meyer

Cinderella by Sir John Everett Millais

 Marissa Meyer, author of the January debut "cyborg Cinderella" novel Cinder  has written an article for Tor.com titled "From Werewolf Hunters to Rights Activists: Updating Fairy Tale Heroines". (See HERE for my post earlier this month on Cinder.)

The article begins with a good dollop of Marissa Meyer's humor, referencing, of course, Cinderella and why you probably don't really like her, or the idea of her, very much. Then she goes on to explain why.


Here's an excerpt:

Today’s teens want heroines who are courageous and empowered, who are willing to fight for what they want and choose their own destinies. And while dashing heroes continue to populate today’s fiction, the trend is leaning toward an equality between the protagonists, with skills and strengths that complement each other, and it’s perfectly acceptable for the princess to slay the dragon herself when called upon. 

...While writers continue to experiment with settings, time periods, and tales both common and forgotten, this trend seems to be here to stay. Those passive girls of old are becoming extinct, being replaced with bold and plucky heroines that don’t only deserve a happy ending, but go out and claim it.

It's a quick, fun read and while the concepts aren't new to readers of this blog it's a great introduction for people who are, for the first time, curious about this fairy tale thing are being delighted by retellings. While it doesn't really cover how much substance the more 'original' (ie. non-Disney) fairy tales have, it does show how much fun retellings are, especially with the variety today that's actively expanding right now both in books and in TV series and movies.

I still remember my epiphany on the subject of retellings. I was nine years old and the symbology in fairy tales was something that fascinated me. I had already begun to look at them in a deeper way and started actively hunting for different perspectives on fairy tales by writers but mainly in the form of articles and essays. I came across C.S. Lewis' Till We Have Faces in the local church library, which retells the story of Psyche and Cupid from the point of view of the elder and ugly rejected sister, and it completely blew me away. It was this book that made me realize you can retell old stories in a completely new way without losing their mythical core. I also didn't miss the Beauty and the Beast/ Cupid & Psyche connection and it truly felt as if I had just stepped into a magical wardrobe that had been siting in front of me for years. I was hooked and have been a student of fairy tales ever since. It's truly exciting to think that people everywhere are having similar revelations week to week right now.

If you know someone who is just starting to understand your fascination with fairy tales and is asking about retellings Marissa Meyer's article would be a good one to have them read. It's not heavy, doesn't get into old fairy tale texts or anything that might seem weighty to newbies and Ms. Meyer's humor is evident throughout. You can find the whole article at Tor.com HERE.

As a bonus (I love bouses!) Tahlia over at Diamonds and Toads has just this week posted an interview with Marisa Meyer! It's a must read. Tahlia asks some great questions and they're perfect for fairy tale readers who want to know how other fairy tale readers and writers think. Go read and thank Tahlia for such a great post. It's like a little Christmas present all by itself. :)

Article/Advertising: Gifts For Fairy Tale Characters

Inspired by the recent public fascination with fairy tales a couple of clever writers at the Los Angeles Times put together an article (which is really a cleverly disguised set of advertisements) on fairy tale gifts, with a difference. Instead of fairy tale themed things for people who like fairy tales (though those are awesome too!), these gifts are all about what you might consider giving the characters of well known tales for a present.

Hansel and GretelTwo adorable young children get lost in the woods and outsmart an evil witch in a candy cottage. For a sweet tooth: Vosges Haut Chocolat Ensemble du Chocolat, $135 at Vosges Haut Chocolat boutique, Beverly Hills.
Survival tool: Victorinox Tomo in apple green, $24 at Victorinox Swiss Army boutique, Beverly Center.
Cottage warmth: Semiologie quilt by APC, $548 at Anthropologie stores.
Angelic dressing: Lanvin ivory taffeta coat with grosgrain bow, $1,050 at Lanvin, Beverly Hills.

Although these gifts are obviously high-end and really just a cleverly disguised set of advertisements for Hollywood-end types, I really like the idea because it requires considering the tales themselves and the situations and challenges being faced. My favorite suggestions are the truly practical things like foot-rub lotions for a Dancing Princess' sore feet, or a Swiss Army Knife for Hansel.

Red Riding HoodTaking a basket of goodies to Grandma's house, the girl in the red cape (briefly) becomes lunch for the trickster wolf. Pack it up: A Bottega Veneta Plaster Cioccolato Nero Canvas Basket print Vachette tote, $1,550 at Bottega Veneta, Beverly Hills.
Off you go: Ralph Lauren Blue Label cabled hat and scarf, $200 at http://www.ralphlauren.com.
A pop of red: YBF Royalty Collectable Pewter lipstick in Royal Red, $28.80 at http://www.ybfgirlfriends.com.

You can see the whole fairy tale gift guide HERE. There are also photos of the suggestions items HERE.



I would really like to see a list of potential gifts that is more in the price range of regular folks. I think that would be a fantastic read and maybe spark some ideas on how we could be of more practical help to people who are undergoing similar challenges to fairy tale heros and heroines.

In the meantime, consider your favorite fairy tale people in the middle of their tales. What would you gift them with? [And let's say you get extra points if you can enhance their tale life without making spoilers. ;) ] How about a a beautiful cook book for Snow White or a decorative boot scraper or a discreet peep-hole for the front door? What about a diary for Rapunzel instead of just hair products, or equipment to facilitate time lapse photography?

Your turn. :)

Snow White's Glass Coffin Comparisons

After seeing the beautiful sculpture collaboration by Benjamin Lacombe and Julien Martinez (see post HERE) I got to thinking about the different designs I've seen for Snow White's coffin. This has been simmering in the back of my brain since the Once Upon A Time pilot where we saw Snow White's coffin in Fairy Tale as the whole design of it, including the way it almost grew out of the ground, struck me as quite unusual and very lovely.

So I hunted around a bit and found various illustrations and a few film images which show Snow White in her coffin (ie one with glass encasing her, or at least showing that it was encasing her).

Turns out this is one of the most unique coffins we've seen for a while so, while this post wasn't meant to include ABC's Once Upon A Time except in passing reference, it turns out I would be remiss to ignore it - especially considering how well received this has been (and is still being) by the public at large.

Click for a larger view - it's a rather big spread! (Apologies for the slight spill into the margin for this one but you can almost see the entire sheet this way and any other size option given me by the blog looks like a teeny patchwork instead.) Please note, many of the images are cropped to fit together or to help focus on the coffin itself, though I've tried to keep as many as I could intact.

Turns out, while there was a nice lot of variation during the Golden Age of Illustration, there really hasn't been a whole lot of innovation regarding the coffin design since. In fact, this particular scene really hasn't been illustrated a whole lot since Disney's Snow White came out in 1937. I truly expected to find a lot more than I did, and while I'm know I've probably overlooked some classics in my hurry to finish this, it's still clear there are not nearly as many drawings of Snow White lying in repose as there are of her collapsed with an apple somewhere in the scene.

I find this curious and fascinating! I don't think many people realize just how influential and iconic the scene from Disney's Snow White and the Sevens Dwarfs is. In the Disney movie all we actually see is a shot of the cottage floor, hear a thump and see Snow White's arm fall gracefully to the floor, letting a bitten apple roll loose from her hand.

It makes me appreciate the design for ABC's Once Upon A Time coffin even more, especially considering the Disney influence on the series. Their coffin seems to grow almost organically from the ground - almost as if it's part of the curse - which I have a feeling is intentional.

ABC's Once Upon A Time: Snow White's coffin, a coffin shard and the shattered coffin

(Have you seen the promo shoot photos for the Evil Queen and Snow in the bramble/nest tangle? Or noticed the Evil Queen's outfit on the OUAT cast photo header? Perhaps the evil queen really is just as trapped in the curse as Snow is...)

I'm now waiting to see how Snow White biting the poisoned apple will play out.

But back to the coffins themselves:

So here in this post are many versions of this scene by illustrators old and new, most well known, others unidentified and others completely new on the scene. I haven't made an effort to put them in any arrangement or order as I thought the comparison works better if you just see them all mixed up. (Please forgive the down-and-dirty presentation - this took a bit longer to put together than I thought it would!) I've included the artist's name where I could verify it (which I did for most of them) so if you like an image you should be able to track it down pretty easily. :)

While there are a few different angles most illustrators - and even cinematographer's key scenes - seem to go for the horizontal angle with Snow White's face in profile, or close to it. I like looking at different options other than the standard approach as they definitely make for a different effect/atmosphere to the scene. Some work well, others less so. One angle strikes me as missing altogether and that's the one from inside the coffin, through the glass to the outside world... I think the only film to try this is Snow White: A Tale of Terror but the view is pretty much limited to seeing a worried face through dirty glass and I wish they'd gone a step further. Again, Once Upon A Time did a unique job of this and it's worth noting. Nice use of the coffin design, the imagery (snow falling, soft focus etc) and the angles used helped shift the atmosphere toward the big moment.

So what do you think? If you had the challenge to portray this scene of Snow White lying in her glass coffin in a unique way, how would you approach it? I wonder how Errol Le Cain might have approached the scene? He always showed you familiar scenes in new and enchanting ways, making you think a bit differently about the tales he illustrated. Or what if Robert Ingpen or Gennady Spirin were asked to illustrate a fresh and different Snow White picture book, what they would do? Would they come up with something new, adding layers of meaning or would they stay with the dwarves finding her body and focus on the seven reactions as so many illustrators have? What, if anything, do the different ways of showing Snow White's beauty in death say?

(Can you tell I've been thinking about this a bit??)

PS: If you're wondering why I'm thinking about all this apparently morbid stuff in December it's two-fold: partly I'm inspired by seeing people talking about Snow White so much at the moment but also the idea of Snow White's coffin is very much like a Winter cocoon. That's what Winter Solstice, in part, celebrates. There is life within the depths of Winter and in hard times, even if it's hard to detect and hard to believe in. It's just waiting fro the right piece of warmth to wake it up so it can start a new phase. In the meantime we can at least hope for happy dreams... :)

Godzilla's (Xmas) Wishes

This image has been making the rounds on the web this month and with good reason. The image is very unique for the holidays. I mean, who equates Christmas with Godzilla?? But it got me thinking (consider yourself warned! lol) about the alternate views of characters in stories (OK, fairy tales) and how when you put yourself in the shoes of the "lesser" characters you end up with a very different - and often touching - story.

The Godzilla Haiku Tumblr blog is a good example of this. Reading through is not only amusing but touching. In fact, you find yourself starting to feel for the poor monster. Here are just a few examples:

 You can see more (lots more!) at the Godzilla Haiku blog HERE.

My favorite fairy tale retelling from a villains POV completely rocked my world when I read it the first time and made me think twice about a lot of things. It's The Magic Circle by Donna Jo Napoli; an amazing retelling of Hansel and Gretel from the witch's point of view (short review/synopsis at the link).

Ms. Napoli is a master at making me think differently about fairy tales I know well and have read many (many!) retellings of already. She is without doubt one of my favorite fairy tale writers and I wouldn't consider my library complete without her retellings, of which there are many. (Note: not all the books at the link are fairy tale retellings but MANY of them are.)

Another recommendation of fairy tales from villain POVs is Troll's Eye View by the incredible editing duo Terry Windling and Ellen Datlow. (You simply can't go wrong with any fairy tale collection these women put together!)

Many of you must be thinking this is one of the weirdest holiday posts you've ever read, let alone on a fairy tale blog. Why am I blogging about this the day before Christmas?

Many of you will be spending tonight and/or tomorrow with family - some of whom you love dearly and others who are, shall we say, "more of a challenge".  Family get-togethers are loaded with stress and are hotbeds for misunderstandings and drama. (Hence the plethora of crazy Christmas family dinner movies.) Christmas get-togethers are also prime settings for Christmas magic and have the potential to be some of the most special times you will remember for the rest of your life. It all depends on your approach to the occasion and how you handle the challenges that come your way. (Don't let your eyes glaze over yet - I have a point and it has everything to do with fairy tales!) Magic doesn't depend on the perfect setting, having the decorations all done or having the prefect meal and party. Fairy tales aren't filled with fairies and glitter and magical bling either (contrary to the public idea of fairy tales). Instead they're magical because there's an element of wonder that lifts the story above every day life, giving you a different perspective and making you pay attention to something important and, often, transformative.

Transformation by Rebecca Guay

 If it helps to view your mother-in-law as Godzilla in an apron, monitoring the oven obsessively or seeing your selfish brother who yells at people getting in front of the big screen as a lonely troll retreating under his safe-and-familiar bridge, then do it. You'll be able to better see your own blessings and maybe you might understand those monsters and help them transform back into the princes and princesses they could be.

 May your Christmas be magical in all the good ways and if it isn't, may the power of fairy tale transformation be yours to wield. Happy Holidays!

News: Bear Visits Goldilocks

European brown bear by Claire Scully*

From AllVoices Local to Global News online:

Date: December 15, 2011

Headline: Bear Visits Goldilocks

The bear, who had been seen in the neighbourhood, made his way into the man’s basement and was sleeping when the cable repairman found the 500 pound ursine in his Hopatcong home Wednesday afternoon. 

State Conservation officer Michael Madoni arrived at the home and ensured the bear would not awake by shooting him with a tranquilizer. The bear was then relocated to the Berkshire Valley Wildlilfe Management Area and a return to its wilderness home.

Read the full article, with bonus cute baby seal home invasion story, HERE.

Gotta love it - if we could confirm the man was blonde this would be a doubly awesome story. :D Very glad no one - and no bear - was hurt and a merry Christmas snooze could then be had by all (after bear-proofing the house anyway!)

Why does this story seriously make me want to go write a fairy tale short story now? :D

Silverlocks by Ali Shaw

And for your bonus material, may I suggest having a read of Ali Shaw's great post about Goldilocks, bears and Scrapefoot HERE. 

Ali Shaw is the author of The Girl With Glass Feet (you can see my review HERE) who has a clear love and understanding of fairy tales, along with a talent for sketching fantastic and unusual things. I always wish there were more to look at!

His next book, The Main Who Rained, is about to be released on January 1st 2012. Although I haven't read it (and it has nothing to do with Goldilocks, Silverlocks or Scrapefoot that I can tell) I do recommend Mr. Shaw's writing and tale spinning.

And for a "beautiful things bonus" go visit Claire Scully's portfolio. The "Bejewelled" section is full of beautiful artistic tributes to animals and nature like the one at the head of the post, and fits the idea of respect that "Bear Visits Goldilocks" is telling us, at least in between the lines, we should have.

Fairy Tales & Architecture - 3 Part Series w/ Kate Bernheimer & Andrew Bernheimer

 

This month we learn that our friend of fairy tales Kate Bernheimer has been doing some groundbreaking work in an unusual field - at least regarding fairy tales. Now that the subject has come up I wonder why I haven't seen it tackled before? The series is called "The House on Chicken Feet"and is co-produced by fairy tale writer and teacher Kate Bernheimer (editor of one of my favorite fairy tale study books, Mirror, Mirror On The Wall among other fantastic works) and her brother and architect Andrew Bernheimer.

Here's the introduction to the concept and header for each part in the series:

Fairy tales have transfixed readers for thousands of years, and for many reasons; one of the most compelling is the promise of a magical home. How many architects, young and old, have been inspired by the hero or heroine, banished from the cottage, lost in the woods, who risks everything to find a forever-space?

In this series, which appears in three installments this week on Places, we look at fairy tales through the lens of architecture. Participating firms — Bernheimer Architecture, Leven Betts and Guy Nordenson and Associates — have selected favorite tales and produced works exploring the intimate relationship between the domestic structures of fairy tales and the imaginative realm of architecture.  

Houses in fairy tales are never just houses; they always contain secrets and dreams. This project presents a new path of inquiry, a new line of flight into architecture as a fantastic, literary realm of becoming. We welcome you to these fairy-tale places.

— Kate Bernheimer & Andrew Bernheimer

The series start HERE and there are links to the second and third part on each page.

 

The various architectural firms take inspiration from three tales and revisit the designs of key structures in the tales at the same time as they look at the stories and consider the significance of such buildings. Considering Kate Bernheimer is a master at getting people to think about the relevance of fairy tales with regard to their lives and to the general populace, you know you want to read these articles! They're fairly short and easy to read but chock-full of unusual perspectives and information.

The three tales are Baba Yaga, in which they look at the hut on chicken feet, Jack and the Beanstalk in which they consider the beanstalk itself and Rapunzel who gets a design update on her cocoon, er, prison, er, childhood home. The stories all get a brief consideration in their own right (from the fabulous perspective of Kate Bernheimer of course!) then the architects and design firms are asked a few questions related to their re-imagining of the fairy tale structure.

Can you tell I'm fascinated? I'm only disappointed there isn't more. (Hint, hint Bernheimer siblings. ;)