Moomin Art Installations to Mark 80th Anniversary
Fans of Moomin will instantly recognize the iconic blue house with its turrets, a warm home to a unique family of gentle creatures. This distinctive stove-shaped tower represents comfort and hospitality throughout the nine Moomin novels crafted by the renowned Nordic artist and writer, Tove Jansson. Now, this beloved house is the inspiration behind a series of art installations across various cities in the UK, coinciding with the 80th anniversary of the Moomin creation.
The project kicks off next week and embraces the theme “doors are always open.” One standout feature will be a 12-foot blue house set outside London’s South Bank Centre, built with stones from Westminster. The installations, created by artists from nations like Afghanistan, Syria, and Romania, focus on themes of displacement. For instance, in Bradford, Palestinian artist Baselzara will showcase a piece titled “Refugee Tent,” envisioning life post-occupation. In Gateshead, natural materials will come together in a work called “Owning Both Nothing and the Whole World,” inspired by Jansson’s philosophical character, Snoofkin. Moreover, a “Moomin Raft” is set to be unveiled at Gloucester Docks.
The first Moomin book, “The Moomins and the Great Flood,” began in the winter of 1939 and was published in 1945. Jansson referred to it as a “fairy tale” born from the war’s shadows. It narrates a mother and her son venturing through unfamiliar territories, facing various threats in search of a safe haven—their missing family. This mirrors the experiences of countless refugees post-World War II, a narrative that resonates deeply in today’s world.
Exploring themes of loneliness and the quest for identity, Moomin’s stories connect with anyone who has ever felt out of place. Characters like Finn and Bob, the inseparable duo, traverse Moominland carrying suitcases filled with treasures. Their narrative hints at secret love, reflecting a time when homosexuality was illegal until 1971. Notably, children’s author Frank Cottrell Boyce found it surprising that a book authored by a “Bohemian Finnish lesbian” resonates so personally. Philip Pullman even remarked that Jansson deserved the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Moominvalley is populated by characters of all shapes and sizes, conveying messages of acceptance over mere assimilation. For instance, Groke, often viewed as a figure of darkness, seeks warmth and shouldn’t evoke fear. This narrative diverges from other postwar refugee stories that lean towards acceptance.
Today, Moomin has transformed into a brand, emphasizing cuteness over kindness, a shift Jansson might find troubling, especially as her legacy is harnessed during Refugee Week to foster understanding rather than commercialize products.
Moominland may feel distant from today’s refugee crises, yet this whimsical world conveys an essential message of tolerance and hope. Jansson once expressed, in her preface to “Moomin and the Flood,” “Here was my first happy ending!”
