In Croatia, “Popevka” - Međimurje folk songs are protected by UNESCO under one condition: the status only remains if generations continue singing them. We made a limited edition package with the words of one song and a small box with alphabet pasta to assemble just one song. The special machine was constructed in order to print local diactritic letters. We created an illustration for each book/song that interprets the intergenerational transfer of heritage. The books are made 90% by hand, and we distributed them individually or as a collection of 5 books in a case.

Međimurje is a small part of Croatia known for its distinctive language and special folk songs, protected by UNESCO, but the protection is valid as long as people continue singing them. The Međimurje region is facing demographic problems, and the Međimurje language is losing its speakers, with the youngest having no interest in local tradition. The Marodi brand, a local pasta manufacturer, makes the alphabet soup pasta using only local ingredients. So we made a special packaging in the form of a book with the exact amount of pasta needed for one song to be assembled – something engaging for the younger generations and informative for those who will pass on the knowledge. Using a book as a tool to bring our cause to the broader audience, we achieved our goal at the very beginning of the campaign: our cause was made institutional and protected by the authorities, and the annual Međimurska Popevka Day was proclaimed by the local government, to be celebrated officially with heritage protecting programs and activities in schools and kindergartens. That way, the tradition will live on, and the intergenerational transfer of knowledge will be enabled in the future.

In Croatia, “Popevka” - Međimurje folk songs have been sung for generations. The songs are protected by UNESCO under one condition: the status only remains if people continue singing them. So we made a campaign about local folk songs needing protection on a higher level, but most importantly, needing to implant love for them to young children because they will pass on the tradition further. We created the book as a tool for the intergeneration transfer of heritage to end up in the most logical place – at the family table. The book itself was handed over to the influencers and decision-makers, and it became the media itself, sparking the dialogue and enabling action. The information was sufficient for the authorities to proclaim the annual Day of Popevka and for the generations at home to connect.

The illustration was made by renowned Croatian illustrator Manuel Šumberac. For each book/song, Šumberac created an illustration that interprets the song in a way that older generations are represented through large characters in a flat sketch style. In comparison, the transfer of knowledge to younger generations is being interpreted through minor characters playing with 3D pasta letters. We also created a group illustration depicting the generational transmission of tradition and heritage, which is shown on the collection cover itself.