Wrapped In Earth

Commissioned as part of the ArChro research led by Anna Ulrikke Andersen at NTNU, a project drawing on patient histories and archival research to explore chronic illness and therapeutic care through artistic practice. Wrapped in Earth's story is rooted in mud therapy at the Dr. Simo Milošević Institute in Igalo, Montenegro, where Norwegian patients have received treatment since 1976.

The project is an experimental 2D animated short film that renders the sensory and emotional experience of chronic illness into a coherent visual journey, moving beyond conventional illness narratives toward something more embodied and symbolic.

The visual universe draws on Norwegian mythological traditions, branching life-tree motifs, the atmospheric landscapes of Theodor Kittelsen, and figures such as Nøkken and Landvættir, reinterpreted into a bioluminescent, surreal inner world. The central challenge was making this universe feel both symbolically rich and emotionally immediate to a general audience, without relying on exposition.

The work involved developing a complete visual direction — concept art, colour world, character design, and scene composition — in close dialogue with the research framework. The result is a distinct aesthetic language in which the protagonist's body and the landscape become one, communicating themes of vulnerability, coexistence, and care entirely through craft and image.

Currently in production. Premiering late 2026 alongside an exhibition.