Gelsomina in the World of Children / Pure Play
“When something is named, it most likely loses its magic,” said Thomas Beachdel, an art historian. And because play itself is a kind of magic—something that resists naming—I have chosen not to define or label things pedagogically or otherwise in “Gelsomina in the World of Children.” To leave play as play, in its exposed, pure, and purposeless form. In the present moment, in our lessons. Without explanations, without categories. Gelsomina is my grotesque character from Fellini’s film La Strada, into whom I sometimes transform among the children. And we play. We let things unfold as they come. Whatever appears, we play with it. In this column, we will bring you records of our play with children. The rest is up to you.
Erika Merjavá and the Children of Rarach
June 2025
