HDW Children’s Weekend dive into the world of Etana Editions’ novelty book

Illustrator-graphic-designer-author duo of Etana Editions, Jenni Erkintalo and Reka Kiraly, share their thoughsts about creating the world of HDW Children’s Weekend.

HDW Children’s Weekend is organised at Kattilahalli, the former boiler hall in Suvilahti on 10 and 11 September. This year’s architecture is based on Jenni Erkintaloand Reka Kiraly’s book Talo kulman takana (“The House Behind the Corner”) and its characters who can be found out an about during the weekend. The book is published at Habitare Design Fair on 7 September.

Etana Editions is a combination of a design studio and publishers of children’s books.

Helsinki Design Weekly interviewed the illustrator-graphic-designer-author duo of Etana Editions, Jenni Erkintalo and Reka Kiraly, to learn about their design philosophy, process and materials.

How did you start to create the spatial architecture for the Children’s Weekend?

We used our newest book as a basis and wondered what it would be like to step inside the book. To present the various neighbours and homes in the book while creating a consistent framework for the workshop organisers and Little Market vendors.

Our most high-flying ideas got straightened to match the practical requirements of this short-term event.Sust that can be recycled for the years to come.

You are an illustrator and a graphic designer together, and you often work with 2D surfaces with a cut-and-paste mentality. Cardboard is one of your materials for the furniture of the Children’s Weekend. How does it feel to work simultaneously in 2D and 3D?

Playing with scale in 2D and 3D is both challenging and fun. It is exciting to see how minute objects become decisive elements in a large space. We use the same cut-and-paste principle in both 2D and 3D design. Since paper is the material we know best, thick recycled D-Board is a natural choice for us. We have used it to create spatial symbols rather than permanent structures. The storytelling starts in the Helsinki Design Week magazine: look for a task and come find the right answers at the event!

The Helsinki Design Week theme for this year is “Better”. How does it show in your work?

Since the very beginning, we have wanted to make unconventional books, products and workshops for children. To us, better means above all more diversity. As we work with different makers, authors and illustrators and cooperate with children in workshops, we do everything with more diversity. Cooperation opens up new angles and challenges our thinking.

The spatial architecture of the Children’s Weekend was created in cooperation with De-Mill.

HDW Children’s Weekend
10.—11.9.2016
Kattilahalli, Sörnäisten rantatie 22