Picturing Myth: Double exposed realities

Abstract

Down the rabbit hole, through the looking glass and into the wardrobe, all of these paths lead from the realm of the real, into the realm of wonder and myth. In Carolyn Lefley's project ‘Realm’ (2009-2012) constructed double exposure photographs create a layering of realities. A familiar domestic interior and a potentially mythological landscape combine to create scenes of make-believe or wonder, which reference texts such as Alice in Wonderland and The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. The home becomes a portal into a mythical realm. The kingdom of Narnia is entered through an ordinary wardrobe. The idea of creating fictional realms and in essence writing new mythology is a practice known as mythopoeia, which fascinated authors such as JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis and George MacDonald. In this illustrated paper Lefley will explore the capacity of the manipulated photograph to invoke scenes of mythology and the supernatural. Can a photograph, which is said to be an index of the real, render a mythical realm into a believable scene?