Cyber trolls of today have their origins in Scandinavian folklore. They are described as hairy and ugly with large noses, jutting jaws and protruding brows, sounding uncannily like the popular stereotype of Neanderthals. Could these tales be archaic stories of actual encounters with other humans, as we invaded Europe?
The myths reflect our fascination and fear of the strangely familiar yet different other. But who is the monster? The trolls are depicted as dangerous troublemakers, giving us the excuse to inflict our own diabolical violence onto them.
All people of European descent carry Neanderthal DNA in their genome
In the video Homo-Neandertroll, synthetic hair extensions are amassed to create a composite creature, Neanderthal, troll and sapien. The camera follows the phantom figure through the landscape. Are we it, perusing it, or being watched by another it? The image is constantly splitting. Divisions are intensified using multiple screens; conjuring spectral light effects of ghost DNA
