As Far as the Light Goes is a book — the result of an artistic residency by Bulgarian writer Violeta Zlatareva and Italian designer and illustrator Arianna Casarin in Chepelare, in the Rhodope Mountains. Their collaborative project explores contrast as a form of dialogue — between word and image, fear and courage, human and nature.
The story follows little Rona — a child who is afraid of shadows and lives in a world where light is the only refuge. To help her, her mother Mari sews a special garment that emits light and protects her from the darkness. With it, Rona dares to venture outside, to follow her curiosity, and to meet the shadows. Over time, however, Rona realizes that danger does not always lie in the dark — sometimes light, too, hides its own perils.
The dialogue between Zlatareva and Casarin revolves around the idea of contrast — as a way to discover meaning in the meeting of opposites. The text explores fear, safety, and the act of overcoming it, while the illustrations visualize these states through a minimalist color palette and a careful balance of light and dark. The result is a multilayered tale in which the story unfolds through both words and images.
About the participants:
Arianna Casarin is an Italian designer and illustrator, born in 2000 in Capiago, Italy. She graduated with honors from the Faculty of Design and Art at the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano. In her work, she combines visual and product design, paying particular attention to editorial and illustrative forms. Her projects are distinguished by precision, poetry, and an interest in interdisciplinary exchange.
Violeta Zlatareva is a Bulgarian writer born in the Rhodope Mountains. Her work explores themes such as fear, solitude, and human vulnerability. She is the author of the short story collection Academy for Whales and the poetry book Register of Accidents, which gathers “everything broken that continues to love.” Her writing is marked by vivid imagery, conciseness, and a sensitivity to the quiet, nearly imperceptible movements of the inner world.
