JANAS
Wunderkammer Festival, Trieste, Italy
17 | 21 October 2025

The Janas are among the most fascinating figures in Sardinian mythology.
Mysterious fairies who could offer help to those in need, or transform into vengeful spirits
if wronged, or even just stared at too long. Wrapped in flowing cloaks and pointed hats,
with a small bowl always in hand, they spent their days weaving magical threads of gold
into precious artifacts: charms to protect or bring good fortune.

The visual of the poster draws from this traditional iconography, while adding a few poetic
and graphic twists. If one hand holds the bowl, the other becomes a musical instrument.
The dark, enveloping cloak doesn’t hide the title: it welcomes it.
The pointed hat is crowned with a stylised helichrysum flower: the scent of Sardinia.

Our Wunder-Jana is seen both in profile and straight on, reflecting her dual nature.
The profile view is for those within the story, those who are seen but do not see.
The frontal gaze, by contrast, meets the viewer directly: flat, symmetrical, almost ethereal.
It conveys a sense of otherworldly presence: solemn, powerful, untouchable. (In ancient Egypt,
only dancers, musicians, and the dead – inhabitants of the other world – were shown front-facing).

Across different formats/media (animated visuals, holographic postcards, collectible objects...)
the Janas come to life in a kind of magical, hypnotic dance. Their cloak opens, their arms move,
their expression shifts. It’s a ritual of transformation that captures the spirit of music,
and of the Festival itself.

The color palette is inspired by Sardinian tradition: stark white, deep red, and black.
The typography is bold and proud, dense yet full of movement. The letters of Janas swirl
across the cloak like ingredients in a spell.
As always with Wunderkammer, the booklet is a kind of carnet de voyages: half notebook,
half illustrated keepsake. The decorative patterns are "woven" by the Janas themselves,
drawing inspiration from pibiones, a centuries-old Sardinian weaving technique.

Scattered throughout are small talismans - sacred hearts, watchful eyes, and the animals
that roam the island: wild mouflons, salamanders, little hens. Alongside them, Sardinia’s
traditional musical instruments: launeddas, drums, accordions, and pipiai.

Witches and fairies. Blessing and curse.
Myth and reality. Music, and a touch of magic.

All brought together in just 8 concerts, over one extraordinary weekend (+ a Tuesday),
for Wunderkammer 2025: a | magical | autumn music festival in Trieste, Italy.