DATES:

Saturday, March 5, 2022
Saturday, March 25, 2023

After an 8-year old boy detected the presence of elves in an abandoned gas station lot in Somerville in 2021, he and his family constructed little houses for the elves. Neighbors, friends, and strangers from the wider community soon followed and, lo, Elfland was born—a settlement of tiny elf homes and other structures presumably essential to elf life including an elf school, grocery store, hedgehog stablery, and countless other amenities. Soon, a satellite "Elfland" community sprung up on the Somerville Community Path which merely added to the intrigue. When a developer announced plans to seize the lot that hosts the original Elfland settlement, a sign appeared urging supporters to "Defend Elfland" from demolition at a public hearing.

These activities have provoked a massive eyeroll from some local denizens who are unsurprised that something like this would take shape in the hipster-artist mecca of Somerville, but perhaps there is more going on here than meets the eye.

This whimsical walking tour through Somerville explored how, even in post-industrial cities like this one, people can reconnect with the landscape (however unsightly) and rediscover its magic. From Elfland’s long history in European folklore to the fairylike creatures from non-Western traditions also celebrated around this city, a closer look at some of the historical and cultural contexts relevant to Elfland reveals an unlikely place-based culture that bucks the mechanical worldview of the region with a heavy dose of magic and frivolity.

For this event, we toured various parts of the expansive network of Elfland art installations straddling Somerville neighborhoods, pausing occasionally to visit urban plants that have been purported to possess magical properties.