Enchanted Glade at Mother Tongues Festival 2026
Role: Illustrator, Facilitator, Design and Construction of Installation
Map illustration for Enchanted Glade by Debora Adachi.
The most immersive experiences of the festival was the Enchanted Glade, a project that perfectly illustrated our commitment to community outreach and artistic development. For the third consecutive year, Mother Tongues artists collaborated with the students of Firhouse Educate Together Secondary School (FETSS). Coordinated with Transition Year teacher Paul O’Connor, artists Debora Adachi and Paola Invernizzi led a series of four intensive workshops with 11 TY students. Together, they explored the delicate interplay of light and shadow, with the students creating many of the intricate shadow images that defined the installation.
The performance itself was brought to life by Miquel Barceló as “The Travelling Man” and Kata Varnyu, whose presence anchored the storytelling. For Debora Adachi, the project marked a significant milestone in her professional journey.
“Enchanted Glade was my first time taking a role to design an installation with the assistance of TY students,” Debora shared. “I was positively surprised with how it turned out. It was very emotional to see children playing and exploring what we prepared for them. The reaction of one child when Miquel’s character was leaving—shouting ‘don’t go!‘—was a testament to how engaged they were in the story. Some children even returned for multiple sessions. I’m very proud of the work we created.”
The talent of the Firhouse students was evident in the beautiful shapes they crafted, which were later distributed to children at the festival, allowing the “light and shadow play” to continue long after the performance ended.
Excerpt from ‘What made Mother Tongues Festival 2026 unforgettable’ (2026). Available at: https://mothertonguesfestival.com/2026/02/27/what-made-mother-tongues-festival-2026-unforgettable/?mc_cid=43e500cb9d&mc_eid=9037fb4cf4 (Accessed: 06/03/2026).
The workshops with the students from Firhouse ETSS facilitated by Debora Adachi and Paola Invernizzi.
Setting up the day before the Festival. Final tests!
