Illu on the Island: Freiburg's Book Festival Makes Illustration Experience Live
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Illu on the Island: Where Books Come to Life and Images Emerge
At the Words & Vibes Book Festival Freiburg, the Freiburg city center transforms on Saturday, October 17, 2026, into an open experiential space for illustration, picture books, and creative encounters. Between the Fundevogel bookstore and the Museum of Contemporary Art, visitors discover how ideas turn into visual stories.
A Picture Book Rally through the Freiburg Island
From 11 AM to 5 PM, a rally takes place across the entire island featuring different drawing styles, creative tasks, and participating bookstores. The stations connect literary curiosity with playful movement through the city. Those who complete the rally receive a reward at Fundevogel.
Live Drawing at the Museum of Contemporary Art
In the foyer and stairwell of the Museum of Contemporary Art, drawing is made visible as an immediate creative process. From 10 AM to 12 PM, Ludmilla Bartscht invites viewers to watch her live drawing. The reading atmosphere of the book festival expands here into a visual meeting of authors and artists: lines, figures, and image ideas emerge right before the eyes of the audience.
Wimmel Figures, Urban Sketching, and New Animal Species
At the Fundevogel bookstore, Steph Burlefinger shows from 2 PM to 4 PM how to draw oneself as a figure in a Wimmel picture. The illustrator is known for her popular Wimmel books. From 3 PM to 5 PM, interested parties can also meet Olha Skorobogatova for Urban Sketching at various locations on the island. Stefanie Scharnberg invites everyone from 4 PM to 5 PM to give form to extraordinary new animal species.
Illustration as Language Art Without Words
The event makes a central quality of the picture book tangible: narratives arise not only through text but also through composition, color, perspective, and body language. The genre of illustration opens up a cultural discourse about perception, imagination, and the question of how stories are visually told. Especially in direct exchange with the illustrators, creative work becomes a sensory, communal, and inspiring experience.
Conclusion: A Creative Festival Visit for All Generations
Illu on the Island combines book festival, art action, picture book rally, and open workshops into a literary experience with an urban character. Visitors experience illustration not as a finished product but as a lively language art in the making. The free event as part of the Words & Vibes Book Festival invites attendees to watch, draw themselves, and discover Freiburg with new eyes.
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