2022, video, 13’41”
Trou de loup is a text-based video work about the various interpretations of lycanthropy, or “werewolfism.”
The first chapter of Trou de loup is concerned with the werewolf’s skin. From the myth of Marsyas who was flayed by Apollo, to 19th-century Englishmen’s flawed interpretations of West Asian werewolf folklore, it reflects on identity as something that may come “from without.” The second layer of skin is at times treated as a desirable object and not an imposition—as either a shield or a disguise, an enchanted thing one can use to shapeshift or a threshold to move across different bodies and times.
The second half of the text is on the issue of retaliation, both as narrative device and a material threat. It is a dialogue of sorts—between myths, folktales, and horror stories—to try and process the fear of retaliation and violence related to a second skin, a body double, or a hidden hide.
Trou de loup has a ramified structure, with each fragment of text splitting the narrative in two. The video offers only one reading, while the raw text can be read in different orders and directions.
⚹︎ The title Trou de loup comes from the medieval fortification method with the same name, meaning “wolf hole” in French.