Preklopljeno i otklopljeno / Folded and Unfolded
This project brings together the artistic research and community-based residency of French-born artist Benoît Delon-Jacquin in collaboration with Jelsa’s kindergarten children and local artists Luči Plosnić and Suzana Semen. Delon-Jacquin’s practice explores the variety and specificity of language, transforming differences in letters, words and pronunciation into playful typographic forms, spatial interventions and microhabitats, while Plosnić relies on spatial solutions in playful dialogue with various communities and Semen, with her experience in historical research and local histories layed down the foundations of the research.
Beginning in Zagreb in June 2026 and continuing in Jelsa, the project invited the children to explore their town through observation, memory and imagination. Following their everyday walking routes, they were encouraged to notice what often goes unseen or unheard—the small details, sounds, encounters and stories that shape their experience of place and belonging.
Their observations were brought into dialogue with archival maps, photographs and postcards of Jelsa from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Through drawing, mapping, lettering and visual interventions, the children imagined new routes and transformed historical images with their ideas and dreams.
Combining sketches, notes, drawings, typographic elements and installations, the project connects Monade Gallery, Dobrović House and Jelsa’s public spaces into a lively map where local history meets childlike visions of the future. Its outcomes include an exhibition at Monade gallery, an installation in public space and an exhibition of the children’s works at the HDD OTK space in Dobrović House, presenting Jelsa through the perceptions of its youngest inhabitants.
Workshops at HDD OTK and Jelsa kindergarten
Treasure Maps
Accompanied by the artists and their educators, the children walked from the kindergarten to the HDD / OTK space. Along the way, they were encouraged to look beyond their usual routines and consider what hidden treasures they might discover in their town. Upon arriving at HDD / OTK, they drew treasure maps recording their observations, memories and imagined discoveries.
Reimagining Jelsa
The second workshop followed the children’s usual walking route, but this time they were invited to move through it with greater attention and awareness. They described what they could see, hear, smell and otherwise perceive in their surroundings—from a cat sitting at the entrance of a house and the sound of someone showering to the smell of freshly baked biscuits.
During the walk, the children’s observations were photographed, while the Croatian members of the artistic team recorded their words and sentences. This material provided the foundation for the following activity and helped shape the exhibition’s concept.
Research in the archives and documentation of the Jelsa Library uncovered historical maps of the town, as well as photographs and postcards depicting Jelsa in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Working with this archival material, the children created and imagined routes and walks that were meaningful to them and reflected their personal experiences of the town. They were also invited to intervene directly in the historical photographs, using drawing and imagination to bring their ideas and dreams into images of Jelsa’s past.
EVENT SCHEDULE
Friday 28.8.2026. 20h @Monade
Exhibition of artistic research
Saturday 29.8.2026.
Installation in public space
Sunday 30.8.2026. 11h @HDD OTK / Dobrović House
Exhibition of children's works
Meet The Artists
Preklopljeno i otklopljeno / Folded and Unfolded project is part of a European platform Magic Carpets, co-funded by the EU.
About Magic Carpets
“Magic Carpets” is a “Creative Europe” platform uniting 17 (14 active members and 3 partners in 2025–2028) European cultural organisations that create opportunities for emerging artists to embark on journeys to the lands unknown and to create, together with local artists and local communities, new works that highlight local specificities and compensate for the shortage of story-telling existing in the modern society by enhancing cultural accessibility, cultural activism and participation.
About Magic Carpets
“Magic Carpets” is a “Creative Europe” platform uniting 17 (14 active members and 3 partners in 2025–2028) European cultural organisations that create opportunities for emerging artists to embark on journeys to the lands unknown and to create, together with local artists and local communities, new works that highlight local specificities and compensate for the shortage of story-telling existing in the modern society by enhancing cultural accessibility, cultural activism and participation.
