Woodlands have fuelled our ancestor’s imaginations for centuries; they are home to the myths and legends we know today. This project is an interpretation of Enid Blyton’s ‘The Faraway Tree’ books, that follow the adventures of five children as they explore nearby woodlands. They come across a tree with a tiny door at its base, through which they find a world of magical places. They become friends with interesting characters like Silky the fairy or Saucepan Man. These images see the world through a child’s eyes - new and exciting - a place of endless possibilities. A child notices all the magical small details which are otherwise overlooked.
Facial pareidolioa (seeing faces in inanimate objects) is used as a tool to mimic the characters the children would meet in the book. Enid Blyton was inspired by Norse Mythology which has the Yggdrasil tree, a mighty ash tree, described as the most perfect, beautiful, and largest of all trees. It grows in the centre of the universe between nine worlds. The top of its branches are above the sky and its roots are in three different worlds:
Niflheim, the underworld, a cold dark world of the dead watched over by the goddess of death, Hel, with a dragon called Nidhigg that lives in the water.
Asgard, home of the gods, is comparable to the Greek Mount Olympus. It is divided into 12 places each with its own ruling god.
Jotunheim, Land of the giants, often described as the snow land is home to the snow giants and the wild untamed creatures.
Thought the Frame
Saucepan Man
Yggdrasil Tree
Enchanted House
True Face
Roots of the Yggdrasil Tree
Fort
Nidhigg the Dragon
Up in Adventure
Silky the Fairy
Feeling the Woods
