Tales of Transformation

Tales of Transformation is a series of photographic light paintings that explore the concept of actively displacing a selection of iconic Norwegian myths and folktales in an Australian landscape. The project was initially conceived as an exploration of traditional and emerging cultural patterns, cultural identity, and attempts of re-framing ideas of ‘home’. However, what emerged was a body of work that engaged with contemporary socio-political debates around gender representation in mythology and folklore. Departing from the traditional the tales have been restructured and reinvented. This has been shaped by my memories of them, my current understanding of them as a feminist artist, and the ways in which they have been influenced by the experience of being a Norwegian living in Australia.

Entangled in unfamiliar landscapes, and without the context of national romanticism, the images represent staged, performative feminist interventions that aim to unsettle the traditional and offer new perspectives on cultural constructs. The act of translation, be it of language or symbols, entails a loss of some sort; loss often followed by transformation, rebirth, or re-discovery. When mythologised flora and fauna, and other culturally significant elements change or disappear completely in a new environment, what remains?

The body of work subverts childhood stories and images, emphasising their theatricality in carefully constructed tableaus that investigates tropes familiar to the Western imagination. Unrestricted by the boundaries of tradition, the work questions long perpetuated myths of naturalised patriarchal discourse, sexist stereotypes, and how men’s violence against women has been inextricably entangled in core cultural narratives.