Ellinor Myskja Balke is a Norwegian illustrator and printmaker. Her work is rooted in the materiality and technicality of image-making, and investigates themes such as folklore, nature and existential philosophy. She works largely with hand-drawn illustration, printmaking and bookmaking, but also dabbles in abstract animations and poster/book design.
This piece of work reimagines a character from Nordic myth – The Nykk – a water spirit that lures people into secluded lakes by transforming himself into a beautiful fiddler. It takes the form of a concertina book that examines an old folksong about the character from the viewpoint of two different landscapes; on land and under water. The underwater imagery is made through monoprint, while above water is made through linocut. The text floats between the images on thin paper and follows the shape of wind and water.
“Her song was heard through wood and vale,
it reached the Nykk through a sunken exhale”