Carton Museum, Ma'ayan Tzvi

When I told Mister Handmade in Israel that I wanted to visit the Carton Museum, situated in the industrial area of kibbutz Ma'ayan Tzvi, he rolled his eyes. He is used to me taking him off to weird and wonderful places, and I guess he thought that this was just another one of them. But when we found the small museum, he was as enthralled as I was. It is a charming place where we discovered that you can design and build anything with cardboard!

The museum showcases the work of Elian (Lula) Kaczka. Kaczka was born in Uruguay in 1984 and grew up in the Jewish community in Montevideo. She gained a degree in Industrial Design at the ORT University, then started studying sculpture at the Pedro Figari School of Arts and Crafts in Montevideo, before deciding to move to Israel to pursue her personal and professional dreams.
Kaczka continued her studies in Israel at the now defunct Basis School of Art and Culture in Herzliya, exhibiting her work in various locations around the country, as well as participating in student exchange programs in Switzerland and Scotland. She currently works out of her studio in the Carton Museum, working on commissioned jobs as well as her own designs.

A selection of Kaczka's cardboard sculptures are on display in the museum. Cardboard is generally considered a side or supporting product, meaning that it itself is not important - the important thing is the product stored inside it or protected by it. Cardboard will usually be thrown in the rubbish bin (or at best the recycling bin) after it has finished its job.

In Kaczka's works there is a reversal of roles: the cardboard is the material from which the work itself is made. She creates pieces that we usually identify with grandeur and high aesthetics: cathedrals, fashionable clothing associated with aristocratic circles in previous centuries, neoclassical architectural elements, and more. The dresses on display in the Carton Museum refer to the Mantua style dresses that were in fashion in the 17th and 18th centuries, mainly in the courts of the European kingdoms, and in the circles of the aristocracy.

Kaczka's mysterious "Creatures" series is inspired by Pre-Columbian art and by old maps from the 16th and 17th century. Commonly referred to as "map monsters", these creatures adorn maps on spaces that are usually left blank or in spots where the geography of the world was still unknown. One particular sculpture on display, below, was made for the group exhibition "Paper Creatures" at the Old Jaffa Museum in 2016. I recognised it immediately!

The artist's fascination with sumptuous buildings and architecture can be seen inside the Carton Museum itself. While the outside of the building is a typical industrial unit, inside Kaczka has created a sumptuous interior inspired by Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architecture. The ceiling is grand and impressive, yet made of cardboard - a humble, cheap and perishable material. We couldn't help but marvel at the disparity between the majesty of the interior and the simple material from which it is made.

* This post has been shared on The Good. The Random. The Fun., Mosaic Monday, Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday), Tuesday Turn About and Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop.