Cardboardia

There is something about life in Russia that inspires a unique creativity and artistic expression.   To combine this with social consciousness and a celebration of community brings us Cardboardia.  For  several days, a pop-up town entertains and delights with creative commentary and playful whimsy.

The most recent incarnation occurred during August in Helsinki, and follows a string of diverse pop-up cardboard towns from Moscow to Berlin and many locations in between.

Boasting civic innovations such as a Bad Taste Department Store, a voluntary prison (perhaps in punishment for supporting bad taste), banks, post offices and more… the buildings are extensive.   A witty naming scheme gives titles to buildings, events and Cardboardia townsfolk.  Beyond the physical structures, people come to see new celebrations every day - Marriage Day, victory celebrations for the uncontested Town Tyrant elections, carnivals and concerts.     The local tyrant, by the way, happens to be project founder Sergey Korsakov.

In a review of Moscow’s 2008 Cardboardia, one commentator wrote that it is “…a land where every person will be able to feel like a child and an artist at the same time.”

To view Cardboardia from afar, there is a steadily growing flickr set as well as the medieval-themed Cardboardia home page.

Also visit the Cardboardia Myspace page here where you can listen to a stirring official Cardboardia anthem.