‘The Changeling’ is a joint project between the folk musician Jullie Hjetland, the composer Eyvind Gulbrandsen and his installation ‘The Mannequin Ensemble’.

The work, which is in the form of an installation performance, has been inspired by the SPOR festival theme of folk culture.

We combine the folk-historical myth about ‘The Changeling’ (‘Skiftingen’ in Danish) with the inherent comment on modern folk culture represented by ‘The Mannequin Ensemble’.

A changeling is a troll-child that has been swapped with a human child. In the old days, it was used as an explanation for children whose behaviour or appearance diverged from the norm – in a negative sense. If the child was ugly, unruly, always screaming or a nuisance, the natural explanation had to be that the real child had been abducted and a troll had been placed in its stead.

We soon started thinking about what subsequently happened to the stolen human child. When a troll captures humans, they are taken to the underworld, into a mountain, or something similar. We use this conception as a point of departure for our work, as an inspiration and working theme. We do not, however, want this performance to deal with this concrete example, rather to show a situation where the one (Jullie Hjetland) relates to the many (the mannequins) – and also suppressed to a certain extent. In that way, a work that focuses on the place of the individual in a community, loneliness among the masses, otherness, etc.

We want to create a space where we invite the audience into an alternative world, with references to both modern and traditional folk culture.

‘The Mannequin Ensemble’ is financially supported by Danish Composers Society / KODA's Fund for Social and Cultural Purposes and KODA Dramatik. The work ‘The Changeling’ is financially supported by The Danish Art Founddation, Performing arts, and Danish Composers Society / KODA's Fund for Social and Cultural Purposes.