E M M A

J . L A N N I E

What Once Was

Folktales In Reverse

Taking as my inspiration The National Forest and surrounding areas, and the history of the place and people, I have created these short pieces of experimental fiction. The stories are site-specific, performance-based, in keeping with the oral tradition of folk tales. Each piece has been recorded in the place that inspired it, allowing the ambient sounds of the spaces to weave their way into the narrative.

The stories take the form of part-confessional, part-folktale, as if told to or by people from the past, those who lived in a deforested landscape scarred by mining and extraction. In these stories, I explore ideas of industrialisation and progress, whilst using elements traditionally associated with folk and fairy tales, such as magical objects and happenings. These “magical” things take the form of mobile phones, radios, and the vast knowledge available on the internet.

The forest has always been a place of stories and storytelling, and the reversal of the destruction of the natural landscape which is being achieved through the National Forest project mirrors perfectly this reversal of folktales, and my exploration of our attitudes to technology, progress, and how we live.

Echo Chamber

"I lean back against the bricks, press my whole body into them. I whisper my name and it lifts up to the top of the arch and echoes back down to me, loud at first, then growing quieter with every repetition...”