www.timeout.com/newyork: Goodnight Moon, that dreamy book that's been lulling children to sleep since 1947, has come to life in a new Manhattan exhibition.
"Goodnight House" at Fort Makers, a design studio and artist collective on Orchard Street, contains reimaginings of the objects found in the book's bedroom setting. Standing in this exhibit is like stepping into the book itself.
8 comments:
I saw something about this online recently, and I think it's so cute. I think there's an entire generation that grew up with this book, and it's just so simple and sweet, it's easy to remember and hard to dislike. I've been interested in furniture design for a while now, because I think it has such a unique challenge, and I really love types of furniture like this that have a very specific look, whether they're based on some thing like a children's book, or just have that sort of naïve, child like wonder to it. I see it and a lot of furniture from the 60s and 70s, where everyone is fascinated by what the future could be like. I think a lot of the designers at that time that were inspired by futuristic ideas somewhat ironically included a lot of influences from their childhood, when their imagination was totally unclouded. I would love to go to this exhibit, but I'm not sure if I'll be home in time to see it.
I feel like Goodnight Moon is such a universal book of the childhood experience. It's so soothing and sweet, and even though it is a children's book I think that everyone can take something out of it. I think that people can make a lot of money by capitalizing off of childhood memories. It seems as if this Goodnight Moon bedroom is done with a lot of love and care for the memories. I think that the demand for this will be pretty big as people love sort of childhood-related things, especially if they are built with social media in mind. I feel like especially now, maybe because of the pandemic but also maybe, not people are revisiting things from their childhood because they provide support and comfort. I feel like visiting this exhibit would evoke those senses of comfort in the attendee, a sort of visit back to one's childhood and seeing the world as a child.
I am such a fan of this whole exhibition! Goodnight Moon is a personal favorite of mine and my whole family, and to see it brought to life is so exciting! I love the whimsical and childlike nature of every single piece in this exhibition, and I think every artist who worked on it did a great job of staying true to the aesthetic established by the book. I have always had a preference for books over television or movies and so it is really fun to see a book that I have always loved brought into a three dimensional visual space. It is really interesting to read that Goodnight Moon was initially not allowed at the New York Public Library because the librarian there did not like it. I can not imagine anyone not liking this book, so I am glad that the general opinion on the book is overwhelmingly positive.
I absolutely love this exhibit and the idea behind this exhibit! I think goodnight moon is definitely a book many people have grown up with and has a great emotional attachment to people. I absolutely love the concept of nostalgia and especially nostalgia in art or changing the form at which the original piece was made. I'm sure there were many kids that just wanted to be able to be in that bedroom and experience that level of coziness. I remember when I was younger (and even now) when I wanted the subway system from Robots or Yzma's lair from the Emperor's New Groove to become an amusement park ride that could remind me of my childhood. To be able to experience things from your childhood and be able to imagine that time in your life again is especially great when the world seems to be giving you adult responsibilities non-stop. This book is also such a positive thing in so many people's lives that it just promotes a sense of security and comfort, something everyone wants to feel right now.
Frankly, the aesthetics of the whole exhibition is a bit remote from my personal taste, I still found the article very interesting. I liked how, even though the main theme was targeted to be made from the children’s perspective, its context was also open for the grown-ups to interpret and make their own connections to the exhibition. Sharing the evening wishes not only with the doll but with every objects in the room including the ballon or even the air would be a very comforting scene to watch. When you see the set, even though it looks like it was built realistically, there are many unusual objects potentially with their own symbolisms, which makes the whole exhibition more intriguing. I also liked the subtle reflection of its background story (with the librarian hating the book). Though I could not watch this exhibition in person, I hope to get a chance to watch it later or perhaps via digital exhibition someday.
Wow.. the amount of nostalgia and comfort this brought me. I know I am far from alone in knowing Goodnight Moon; for me, I can remember my mom reading it to me before bed through much of my early childhood. The exhibit reminds me so much of the actual book, even though I haven’t seen it in years– the vibrant colors of the room, the objects in the bunny’s room, everything about this makes sense. I really love the idea, and the choice of book was amazing in my opinion. The story about the New York Public Library chief children’s Librarian was super interesting to me as well– I would have never known that. I actually enjoyed this article so much I texted it to my mom (yes, I actually did); it is a really fun read, especially if you knew the book growing up. I wish I could see this in person!
This is a very cute exhibit and exactly the type of work that theater people can be doing in this current pandemic climate. Creating something once is what theater people excel at. I don’t know what the other examples are of theater shops doing one-off work during the pandemic, but I haven’t heard specifically about any other stories. I do appreciate the story about the head of the children’s book department at the new york library hated it so much. The book which is from 1947 is also in full color and it’s from an era right after Dr. Suess who also used full color. I sort of associate any time before the 70s or 60s with black and white, but I guess the actual process of color printing existed, it was probably just extremely expensive. That being said, it must have made economic sense to sell books in full color because they could be charged enough for them because they could be used again (as opposed to something like a newspaper.)
This is such a wonderful and nostalgic exhibit that I would love to go see. Everything feels so heavy at the moment, I would assume especially in New York because of how hard they were hit with COVID in the beginning. Definitely now, I think we all need an experience that can transport us into a happier more carefree time in our lives. I remember my parents reading Goodnight Moon to me all the time at night, but I genuinely haven’t picked up the book in years. Still, the exhibit and art style is so recognizable which is amazing considering the entire thing is made up of pieces by different artists. I really love how it was a collaborative effort. I’m sure it was refreshing to try and look through the eyes of a child and center comfort as well as play. Overall from what I see in all the pictures, they really did bring the book to life.
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