Gertrud on the silence of myth
Maja DANIELS
In 1667, in Sweden, Gertrud Svensdotter, a 12-year-old girl, was accused of walking on water in Älvdalen. This event triggered a wave of witch hunts, marking a period of collective hysteria and persecution.
This series revisits these events by anchoring them in the present, where history and myth intertwine in a new narrative with an open-ended outcome. Through still and moving images, it explores the creation of myths, which, like photographs, remain open to interpretation, never entirely fixed. The essence of an image often lies in the invisible and its silent echoes.
By shaping new rituals inspired by those of the past, this approach questions historical narratives and examines how a visual language can redefine our connection to the past, present, and future. Drawing from Gilles Deleuze’s idea that the new must disguise itself as the old in order to emerge, the project uses photography as a tool of provocation across time, offering alternative interpretations of history and paving the way for future speculations. Thus, the image becomes a strategy for shaping and imagining a different world.
partners Benrido, Hariban Award