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Chiara Carrer
Italy
Chiara Carrer graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome. Since 1990, she's worked on over a hundred books and has received many accolades, such as a Biennial of Illustration Bratislava Golden Apple, plus Special Mentions in the Bologna Ragazzi Awards and ILUSTRARTE: the Biennial of Children’s Book Illustration.
In this post, Chiara talks about the creation of ‘Un dia’ (One day). This beautiful picturebook was first published in Mexico by Petra Ediciones, and it received a Special Mention in the New Horizons category of the 2011 Bologna Ragazzi Awards.
Chiara: A voice tells of its sadness and loneliness, but gradually we are aware of lots more voices and movement. Different people arrive in no particular order to tell their stories.
It is only at the end that we realise the narrative voice is that of a home which welcomes unexpected guests.
The project grew slowly in the form of a list, with no real story. In the beginning, I had the descriptions and feelings of the boys and girls, each drawn using different techniques and tools. Then I realised that to combine these figures and give them more of a narrative, I needed a place to bring them together.
An abandoned house which could express its feelings was the ideal place to bring together the characters I had imagined.
Each character brings a memory, a way of life, and a viewpoint. They are silent fragments: hints that invite us to imagine their lives. They are emotional presences that come and go. Maybe some will stay, others will leave again; we do not know if they will meet or if their lives will change; they are just the opening words of a life.
The techniques used – the collages, cards and symbols – are all the result of material produced and accumulated over time, adapted to the various needs of the project.
A mixed-up technique in which pencils, graphite and acrylic are used alternately, and complement each other to create rhythm, harmony and beauty.
Illustrations © Chiara Carrer. Post translated by Gengo and edited by dPICTUS.
Un día / One day
Chiara Carrer
Petra Ediciones, Mexico, 2010
It could happen that one day, only one word can describe us, that one image reflects our emotions when a character tells us their story. The journey through the space of each one of these stories told from different perspectives can wander in space, trying to find us.
One day, Isabel, Omar, Lola, and the others arrive, all eager to tell you their story.
‘Un día‘ received a Special Mention in the New Horizons category of the 2011 Bologna Ragazzi Awards.
