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Paper short abstract

An experimental project that connects werewolf folklore narratives in northern Portugal with the landscape through creative documentary, VR, and AR aims to foster a more profound discussion of the relationship between artistic representation and the cultural identity of nature.

Paper long abstract

In Dona Joaquina (94)’s narration, the werewolf appears in the shape of a horse. It accompanies smugglers travelling through the border mountains of northern Portugal, sucks the blood of a cat, runs up and down the hill, and returns to Rome in one night. The remote, snow-covered mountains, with their eerie boulders and the winter forest, are the silent witnesses to the restless activities of the werewolf. The northern Portuguese folklore, such as this one, is not only born from locals’ creativity in response to the unknown wild while coexisting with it, but it also brings a strong cultural identity to the landscape. Especially in Portuguese cinema, this region is usually romanticised and portrayed as magical. But why and how? This presentation is about an experimental artistic research that integrates interdisciplinary study to connect folklore narration with the landscape through immersive digital media. By using multimedia representations in an ethnographic context, including creative documentary filmmaking, virtual reality, and augmented reality (a projected media art installation), the folklore narrative is visualised and materialised through creative representations of the landscape. It brings intangible materials (folklore narration) to a broader audience and may also foster a deeper understanding of the natural environment in which the narration was inspired. Furthermore, it also makes a deep mapping of the landscape through human legacy and perspective, forming a more profound discussion and critique of the relation between artistic representation and the cultural and natural landscape.