Often, especially after traveling to places like 3 Days of Design—the design festival in Copenhagen where Openhouse works both behind the scenes and steps into the spotlight— I find myself reflecting on life as the ultimate performative act. A construct where we play countless roles, some not consciously chosen and others that define our path, positioning us not only within a group but also in relation to ourselves.
On each stage, we perform our assigned roles—mother, daughter, professional, friend—but even so, we strive to dress the scene in the best possible way, creating our own set, inviting new characters, and writing wonderful plots.
There are situations that reveal our bitterest side, stages we never wished to step on, and facets of ourselves we never wanted to see, yet they help us grow, evolve, and ‘perform/transit’ each of life’s ‘acts’ in a different way.
Some moments, with their plot twists, lead us to live scenes full of emotion. What matters is not what happens to you, but how you interpret your role in each scene and how you narrate your passage once it is over.
There’s a saying that life is a carnival, and perhaps it is, with its masquerades. Personally, I see the creatives featured in this issue as directors of a scene where I love being a spectator.
Wandering through Linda Freya Tangelder’s atelier is like being enveloped by a stage set with objects that find beauty in imperfection. At Comida Codac, Chef Miquel Coulibaly leads you through a sensory dance where nothing is as it seems, and yet nothing is truly hidden.
Il Palazzetto presents itself as a lady from the past who nonetheless opens up to the future, while A Tavola is an exercise that, like a young and enthusiastic theater company, brings forth a work of itinerant character.
I hope the pages of this issue resonate with you like good stories do, whether in the form of cinema, theater, or literature. And so when you finish reading them, you feel a broader, renewed perspective of yourself and be inspired to turn your life into a true work of art.
This issue No. 22 will be available in all shops starting October 29th and will feature four covers to choose from.