HOMO -- NEANDERTROLL
each inside the other
Residency and exhibition: Nordnorsk Kunstnersenter 2017 Svolvaer (Norway)
Cyber trolls have their origins in Scandinavian folklore where they are described as hairy and ugly with large noses, jutting jaws and protruding brows, sounding uncannily like the popular stereotype of Neanderthals. I started wondering if these tales could be archaic stories handed down of actual encounters with these other humans, as we invaded Europe.
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The myths reflect our fascination and fear of the strangely familiar yet different other but who threatens whom? The trolls are depicted as dangerous troublemakers, providing the excuse to inflict our own diabolical violence onto them.
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Many people today carry Neanderthal DNA in their genome. We are Neanderthal, troll and sapien.
In the video Homo-Neandertroll, synthetic hair extensions are amassed to create this composite creature. Filmed in Norway, the camera follows the phantom figure through the landscape, the constantly splitting image confusing singular identities of who is protagonist, pursuer and observer. Divisions are intensified using multiple screens which throw off spectral light effects like ghost DNA.