Wet Plate Folklore
Wet plate folklore is an ongoing project of Veera Kaamos Pitkänen and Robert Alexander. The artists are creating a substantial series of analogue photographs inspired by the rich folklore of the British Isles. The imagery draws on existing myths, legends and influences from classic folk horror films, mixing these with freshly imagined characters inspired by landscapes the duo is working in. Additionally, Pitkänen and Alexander photograph standing stones and other sacred and significant sites across the UK.
All the costumes and props are created by the artists, favouring recycled materials such as second hand fabrics and cardboard.
The photographs in this series are wet plate tintypes, shot with antique cameras and lenses. No AI or digital photo manipulation have been used. Shown here are a few examples of the series.
THE FAMILIAR, 4 x 5", 2026
Tales of witches (and their familiars) are common throughout the country. The character of the witch and her abilities changed through centuries.
Witch trials in Europe saw thousands of people falsely accused of the crime of witchcraft. Most of those accused in the British Isles -and around Europe- were women who were imprisoned, tortured and executed. In 2022, after a two year campaign by The Witches of Scotland group, the First Minister officially apologised on behalf of the Scottish government to those accused under the Witchcraft Act. So far, most other countries have not followed the example.
The conical hat we now associate strongly with witches was not unusual attire at the time.
WULVER, 4 x 5", 2026
The kind wolf-man from Shetland, described by folklorist Jessie Saxby in 1930s -'He was fond of fishing and had a small rock in the deep water which is known to this day as the "Wulver's Stane." There he would sit fishing sillaks and piltaks for hour after hour. He was reported to have frequently left a few fish on the window-sill of some poor body.'- was a little too good to be true. Saxby was the sole creator of the being and wulver is not an original folktale. Fabrications or changing of the story or its characters to fit an ideal are not uncommon but they raise important questions of what makes a story, how many people need repeat a tale and by whose authority is it deemed authentic.
THE BURLAP KING, 4 x 5", 2023
BLOOD ON SATAN'S CLAW, 4 x 5", 2026
Inspired by the 1971 cult classic starring Linda Hayden as Angel Blake. A tribute to the folk horror masterpiece, the photograph was taken at the original filming location in Oxfordshire.
Rise now, from the forest, from the furrows, from the fields!
THE BURLAP KING, 4 x 5", 2026
One of the original characters developed for the series by the artists, the enigmatic Burlap King resembles the fay folk. A shapeshifting being, he haunts the hedgerows and edges of woodland.
