My sister lives with her family in Lolland (Southern part of Denmark). One cold Christmas, I couldn’t sleep after having re-visited an old staff barn there. The place, rich in energy, light and texture had remained empty since the 1950s. Time seemed to have been frozen there and still with so many stories to tell. Even the wallpaper was made from old newspapers from the time the place was in use.
The insomnia was caused by this strong urge to photograph there and I really wanted my brother-in-law’s mother to model for me, but I had a feeling she wasn’t much into that idea.
Next day, I instead grabbed the mannequin that was standing in my sister’s office. As I drove her to the barn with her legs sticking out the back of the car, the name Elise came up.

Later, I learned from my sister’s writing that that specific mannequin model had been an enormous export success for the company who made it. ‘Elise’ and her sisters apparently hit a nerve and for years came to represent she came to represent the ideal female look within the world of fashion. Especially in China, they loved her. 

I contacted Elise’s creator Anne-Marie Smidt and told her about the project. We ended up meeting up and dragged her newest mannequins out in the surrounding forrest. Elise’s time had passed as fashion had changed. The world had changed. The demand was now for something colder and androgynous. Anne-Marie’s new creations became ‘The Others’, inspired by a certain TV show.

They had arrived, like from a different planet, in the surrounding forrest. No one could tell their true intentions. And Elise, she was long gone.

2. “Loft” (2012)
79 x 120cm (31” x 47”)
Limited edtion of 5 + 2 AP
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3. “Bathroom” (2012)
79 x 120cm (31” x 47”)
Limited edtion of 5 + 2 AP
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4. “Green Wall” (2012)
79 x 120cm (31” x 47”)
Limited edtion of 5 + 2 AP
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5. “Kitchen” (2012)
79 x 120cm (31” x 47”)
Limited edtion of 5 + 2 AP
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6. “Dreaming” (2012)
79 x 120cm (31” x 47”)
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7. “Leaves” (2012)
79 x 120cm (31” x 47”)
Limited edtion of 5 + 2 A
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8. “Compassion” (2012)
79 x 120cm (31” x 47”)
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9. “Fridge” (2012)
79 x 120cm (31” x 47”)
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10. “Human Nature” (2012)
79 x 120cm (31” x 47”)
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11. “Going All Out” (2012)
79 x 120cm (31” x 47”)
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12. “On the Bridge” (2012)
79 x 120cm (31” x 47”)
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14. ‘In the Woods‘ (2012)

129 x 200cm (51” x 79”)

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Installing for solo show @ Forum (2012)