May 1 - June 13, 2015
Opening Reception
Friday May 1, 7-10pm
The Way North
Haunting cinematic portraits of Norwegian folklore
Ole Marius Joergensen
Between rough mountains ridges, ancient forests and deep fjords, there once lived a cold and strange group of people. Their beautiful, small country would later be known as Norway or 'The Way North'.
The great wilderness provided the people with their livelihood, but it also presented dangers. Many mysterious incidents in this desolate landscape forced the people to recognize the existence of diverse nature spirits. As they discovered, there were a variety of strange creatures living in their midst. Some of them benevolent and others evil who would attack people when nature was violated.
Some of the spirits could create storms to endanger fishermen, lure young girls and boys into the woods, or frighten the people during the night. These spirits shared the life of the Norwegian people for many centuries but gradually disappeared with the modern way of life.
Several well-know Norwegian artists of the 19th century painted these spirits, but no one has ever captured any of them with a camera - until now.
The Way Home is shot on location in the sparsely populated forests and mountain regions of Northern Norway. Jorgensen collaborated with costume designer Mikkel Brand Bugge and created their own visions of the creatures.
Artist’s talk Wednesday
May 6, 7:30pm
