Det var en gang en skog

Site-specific dance performance for children aged 0–2
Scenography



Isn't it strange to think that all the paper in all the books at the library was once trees?
Imagine—it was once a forest (Det var en gang en skog).

How does it actually affect the Earth when we cut down forests and replace them with buildings and factories? And what about all the animals in the forest? Where will they live when all the trees have been turned into apartment blocks?

Now, a forest has been reborn from paper in the library—and in this paper forest, two strange creatures appear.



The scenography transforms the library into a poetic paper forest. Birch tree patterns made from printed text, watercolour leaves crafted from different types of paper, and puddle-shaped carpets and cushions woven in the colours of the four seasons invite children into a sensory landscape rich in texture, colour, and sound.




Credit

Concept

Ida Cathrin Utvik, UTVIK/BARFOD

Choreography, producer and project manager

Ida Cathrin Utvik

Co-creating Dancers

Kamilla Moen, Oda Rognø

Costume Design

Lærke Bang Barfod

Composer

Maia Viken

Scenography

Ayana Ishihara

Photo and Video

Tania Musina

Production assistant/accounting

Linda Birkedal

Supported by

Art Council Norway, Fund for performing artists (FFUK), The Bergesen Foundation

Schedule

World Premiere

19 October 2024
Kulturnatt Haugesund, Haugesund Folkebibliotek, Norway

Performances

26 October–04 November 2024
Deichman Majorstuen, Bøler, Stovner, Furuset, Linderud, Bjerke, Nordtvet, Romsås, Lambertseter, Tøyen, Oslo, Norway

20 June 2025
Klimahuset, Natural History Museum, Oslo, Norway

28 August 2025
Markedet for Scenekunst, Sandefjord, Norway


Deichman Furuset    Photo: Ayana Ishihara
Photo: Ayana Ishihara
Deichman Tøyen    Photo: Tania Musina
Photo: Tania Musina
Photo: Tania Musina
Photo: Tania Musina
Photo: Tania Musina
Deichman Majorstuen     Photo: Ayana Ishihara


©Ayana Ishiahra 2025