Celine Fortenbacher - Huldra

In her new film multidisciplinary artist and choreographer Celine Fortenbacher draws inspiration from the legend of the Huldra, a seductive forest creature found in Scandinavian folklore. Deriving its name from a root meaning “covered”, or “hidden”, the Huldra are one of several Rå, or wardens, and are associated with the ‘hidden folk’ of the legends of Scandinavia, woodland analogues to the aquatic sjörå, or mermaids, and the mountain cave-dwelling bergsrå. “It’s in our nature to perceive things fundamentally differently and to question almost everyone’s perception around us,” says Fortenbacher. “We can often end up hiding or overcompensating parts of ourselves that might not be perceived ‘well’ to escape and suppress potential flaws or avoid judgement. Especially the feminine has often been pressured to adhere to certain expectations, a lot of mystical female figures have either one of those binary attributes in common: seductive, serene, beautiful, or full of wrath, ugly and dest