In the exhibition ‘The White, the Green, and the Dark’, presented by the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Berlin, artists Ingrid Torvund and Jonas K. Mailand currently exhibit all three films from their ‘Under Earth’ trilogy: ‘Magic Blood Machine’ (2012), ‘When I go out, I bleed magic’ (2015) and ‘I found you under earth, under blood’ (2019).
Torvund and Mailand have collaborated on the creation of these visionary narratives, which are rooted in the natural landscape of Telemark. The pair’s unique cinematic storytelling mixes Christian mysticism with magic and folklore. Often, Torvund’s costumes, props and sets are exhibited alongside the films themselves, creating a holistic picture of the universe built up in and around these stories. The intricate embroideries and hand-carved creatures are part of a wider sci-fi vision that underlines the trilogy. We spoke to Torvund and Mailand about their process, the evolution of characters and how their films have been received in the art world.
Video by MONA, Produced by Monica Salazar, Filmed and Edited by Peter Cairns
