In the end of 2016 Ljubljana by Amela Špendl was published. It is the first Slovenian urban colour book for adults. As opposite to the most frequent motifs of lately extremely popular adult colouring books, this book does not contain intricate imaginary patterns, but freehand drawings of architectural landmarks, culture, and Ljubljana life style. The drawings in the book are also described in the Slovenian, English, German, and Italian language.
Everybody can freely express his or her perception of the city
"For the moment web sale shows larger interest by domestic byers, although a lot of books went to other countries as well. The interesting thing is that, at least online, most of the buyers come from outside the capital, which shows that it attracted interest of a those who like cities, and colouring. Bookstores however noticed the interest of visitors from other countries," explained the author of the colour book, who is very satisfied with the response to her colour book. "The first to notice the potential of the colour book were designers and architects; many of the buyers work in creative professions. I hope the book will reach all of those who would like to express their perception of the city by colouring the book."
"In the last two years, adult colour books have turned into a sociological phenomenon, which made the presentation of the city in this form a great challenge, carrying great responsibility. While devising the book, I familiarized myself with a number of schemes of colouring books based on cities, from all over the world, from imaginary to realistic presentations of cities, buildings, and landscapes. My colour book differs from the others, on the world scale, by its concept and design, as every single drawing presents the identity of the city in the same style – be it a view of a square, or a stucco detail. The descriptions of the drawings carry a lot of responsibility as well; the short descriptions tell the tale of the city with accurate information. All that resulted in a unique colour book such as no other city can boast of," the author described the greatest challenges.
"I enjoy those slightly hidden parts of Ljubljana"
There is no doubt only a person who loves the city and knows it so well to have her own favourite spots is capable to go into such details. Details which would not catch the eye of a person during cursory sightseeing. "I like to visit different parts of Ljubljana, depending on what I want from the urban space at a particular moment. I like places with which I can establish communication. I enjoy those slightly hidden parts of Ljubljana, and often find a bench, a wall, or a step. One of the most beautiful places is the park in front of the National Museum, peaceful natural area surrounded by strong architecture. I like new smaller squares along the renovated Slovenska street, and the dynamic spaces full of city life, Sunday mornings at the market. I like to take a rest along the banks of the Ljubljanica river next to constantly changing views of the river, and on Sunday I have breakfasts on the Castle Hill facing a wonderful view." And the first associations the city? "If I close my eyes, the first association on the city to come to my mind is the individuality. Ljubljana is unique, and this characteristic of the city influences the identity of its inhabitants. In my opinion, the individuality is a very strong character trait of its citizens."
Ljubljana is considered "white"«, but it is everything else but white…"The perception of the colours of a city differ depending on the season of the year, the quantity of light, rainy, sunny or foggy days, there are a lot of factors. Under the sun the city shins, after rain it turns the shades of violet and orange. If we carefully consider the colours of the city we notice that they range from beige, grey, yellow, terracotta, brown, blue, green. But in the end, they all blend into one or two colours, which make the urban image of the city soft, gentle, calm. And this colour exists, both in reality and in imagination. Ljubljana used to be white; last year it was green, but that is already a trademark identification."
"Golden" old bourgeois city tradition
"I experience Ljubljana in a colour scheme of eggshell and gold, which is the reason I designed the colour book in these two colours, which also carry a symbolic meaning. The eggshell colour gives the impression of trust and creativity, and gold expresses its historical dignity. The historical importance of the city and the old bourgeois tradition are often neglected, and yet this tradition is still shaping the city and its inhabitants," the author wraps up her thoughts. For spring, she is planning some major interactive promotional events related to Ljubljana.
She has already started to work on a new colour book, "again dedicated to a beautiful city, real urban environment, architecture, and culture". "I have preserved the scheme of a urban colour book, as every city has its own beat and its own lifestyle, every city offers its own story which I present in colour books. The format of the book will be the same, but the spirit of the city gives the colour book a completely different image," Amela Špendl remains a bit mysterious. She is convinced that Ljubljana is a magical city and invites us all to paint it in colours we prefer.
