Published: 12 January, 2008, 03:16
Edited: 12 January, 2008, 03:16
Located in the heart of Moscow, Cartonia has everything you would expect to find in a modern city – a main street with lavish stalls, fashion boutiques, and art cafes. But there is something that makes it different: it’s made entirely of cardbo
About 500 people have already become citizens of this bizarre city inside an old factory building.
Originally, Cartonia, or ‘Cardboardtown’, was set up by some 50 young artists looking for a new vehicle to express their identity. The project has drawn attention of many fans and tourists.
“Cartonia really grabs you and it is really addictive. We now walk on the streets and once we see a piece of cardboard we just go mad and run for it full of new ideas,” Tatyana Safonova, an artist, says.
Tourists who love it and want to stay here can buy citizenship and a passport. Moreover, they can build their own cardboard houses, plant a tree and even raise their cardboard child!
Covering 500 square meters, the city has the entire infrastructure and even its own television channel.
“Each visitor may take part in the life in our cardboard city. All events that happen here depend on the input of the guests,” says Ksenia Kalinina, one of the artists.
Although the show is on till January the 20, its benefits may be more long-term. For some, it may become a new way to escape from the daily grind of Moscow life.