January 11, 2010

Anna Battista (IT)

Anna Battista (IT) stayed at Creators Inn by Elvine at Hotel Scandic Malmen in Stockholm. She also gave us the longest answers so far. I guess that is what you should expect from a “compulsive blogger”. Don’t miss out on all her tips and recommendations regarding places to visit in Stockholm below.

Who are you and what do you do?
I’m a writer, freelance journalist (fave topics: arts, cinema, culture, fashion, politics, social issues and style), film lecturer and compulsive blogger.

Do you consider yourself creative and if so, in what way?
Yes, I do. Being creative for me means being alive, writing, connecting with other like-minded people around the world and starting with them inspiring projects.

What was your reason for visiting Stockholm, and what happened while you were here?
The main reason was reconnecting with fashion designer Camilla Wellton. I first met her a couple of years ago when I came to Stockholm to take part in a conference in celebration of Astrid Lindgren’s 100th birth anniversary. In that occasion Camilla and I talked a lot about the importance of fashion and style and how specific garments can empower people. Our original idea was doing research on this topic and develop a book, but we never had the chance to meet up again. During my recent visit to Stockholm, Camilla and I reconnected again and we ended up chatting until 2.30am in the room offered by the Creators Inn by Elvine. Believe it or not, two years ago we departed a few metres from the Scandic Malmen Hotel, so meeting in the same place was uncanny! We planned new and exciting ventures for 2010 and Camilla would also like to submit a few fashion design ideas to Elvine and maybe start a collaboration with them in future (urban wear? capsule collection? We’ll see!).

How did you like the room, and what do you think about the Creators Inn by Elvine concept?
Definitely loved the room! The first thing that came to my mind when I looked out of the window of the Creators Inn by Elvine room at the Scandic Hotel, was Astrid Lindgren’s Karlsson på taket (Karlsson on the Roof). It was easy to imagine a little man with a propeller on his back hovering around the windows of the hotel and maybe becoming friends with him, skiing on the snow-covered roofs as if they were mountains and generally misbehaving like a little child! The room was the perfect creative environment for me: the WI-Fi connection helped me updating my blog, Irenebrination, some records (Primal Scream, Kraftwerk and Pizzicato Five…) brought back great memories from a long time ago and the quiet allowed me to focus on my ideas and plans. I really liked the concept behind the room: I wish it could be replicated in other countries across the world. You can read further about my impressions on the Creators Inn by Elvine project in this post on my blog.

Any tips and recommendations for future guests? Did you include anything on the map?
I don’t watch too much TV, so I didn’t mind not having one, though I would have loved a small DVD collection, so that guests not well versed in Swedish cinema/actors/directors could learn a little bit more about it, while guests interested in costume design could maybe discover Mago’s creations through films. There’s a lot to see in Stockholm, so, yes I did add a few tips on the room map. Here they are:

Konst-ig
Address: Asögatan 124, Tel. +46 (0)8-204520, Web: www.konstig.se
Wonderful bookshop, especially for people who are into architecture, interior/fashion design, graphic art, typography and illustration. You can read my review of this shop in this post on my blog.

The T-Shirt Store
Address: Götgatan 28, Tel +46 (0)8-6400131, Web: www.thetshirtstore.se
Forget about bringing back from Sweden a touristy T-shirt. Try these contemporary designs instead or submit the company your exclusive designs on www.thetshirtstore.se

Emmaus - Designer Vintage Store
Address: Götgatan 14
This store owned by charity Emmaus sells some great vintage clothes and accessories. The focus is on the 60s, but you will also find a few mags and records from earlier decades. You can read my review of this shop in this post on my blog.

Doha’s Shop
Address: Högbergsgatan
For all your kawaii needs - Hello Kitty & Co. galore!

K.A. Almgren Sidenväveri
Address: Repslagarg. 15 A, Tel. +46 (0)8-6401901, Web: www.kasiden.se
Who said you have to go to Como to see real silk-weaving mills? Come to Sweden instead and visit this museum especially if you are into fabrics and textiles. You can read my review of this museum in this post on my blog.

Camilla Wellton’s Atelier
Address: Bränkyrkagatan 47, Web: www.camillawellton.com
Get some made to measure clothes at Camilla Wellton’s. The choice is wide and it includes garments in organic fabrics. I ordered a pair of trousers!

Dansmuseet
Address: Gustav Adolfs Torg 22-24, Tel +46 (0)8-4113500, Web: www.dansmuseet.nu
Highly recommended especially to people interested in costume design since it owns quite a few costumes from the Ballets Russes’s “Chout” (you can see them for free!). At present there is also a special Ballets Russes exhibition (until April 2010).

Bookshop @ Moderna Museet
Address: Moderna Museet, Skeppsholmen, Tel. +46 (0)8-51955200
Web: www.modernamuseet.se
Great for people interested in photography and architecture/interior design and for young arty kids.

Swedish Institute for Children’s Books
Address: Odongatan 61, Tel +46 (0)8-54542050, Web: www.sbi.kb.se
Discover the best children’s literature ever created in Sweden, Astrid Lindgren’s books included, then try to become a children’s author or illustrator!

What’s creativity to you?
Scottish author Alexander Trocchi once wrote a piece entitled “Tapeworm” comparing the urge to write to a nasty tapeworm living in your bloodstream and constantly whispering “write, write, write”, and only shutting up when you sit down and finally write that story that has been going round your head for a while. Creativity for me is the same thing, a sort of compulsive urge I need to listen to or I will go crazy!

What’s next?
After staying at the Creators Inn, I decided to extend my stay in Stockholm to focus on a few projects and think about new interviews and features, while also developing a new play I had in mind. January/February will be dedicated to catwalk shows and tradeshows for the next season. Not desperately looking forward to them as I would like to have more time to develop a few researches for a couple of fashion documentaries, write a slim and fun volume on the “Decamerotica” theme (Italian films that take inspiration from Boccaccio’s Decameron) and develop a little side research on Swedish textiles. This year is also the 100th birth anniversary of screenwriter Ennio Flaiano and I would like to bring to Pescara (Flaiano’s hometown, but also my hometown) a live version of Federico Fellini’s I Vitelloni (Spivs/The Young and the Passionate, 1953). I’m very much into politics and I have recently finished a new translation of Ignazio Silone’s School for Dictators, a dialogue about dictatorship and totalitarian regimes, and I’m at present looking for a publisher. I also have in mind a short tale, but, before coming to Stockholm, I got stuck in a creative quagmire with one character. I got out of it while rambling in the streets of Gamla Stan and now I know that the character that was giving me a headache will wear a Gustav III’s mask and cocked hat. I would also like to develop a sort of cinema and fashion programme/workshop with Elvine for the next Göteborg International Film Festival, so I will definitely try and get in touch with both Elvine and the festival organisers. First, though, there’s work to do with Camilla Wellton: a promise made at the Creators Inn is a promise to keep!

Anything else you want to add?
Be stylish, be cinematic and stay creative!