understory is a poetic fairytale about the transformative and healing power of storytelling. It is a tale of connection found among the darkest ferns of despair.
It examines how sharing our individual trauma(s) allows us to see the systematic pain and depression in a deeply patriarchical society - yet this also shows us we are not alone. Our stories have the power to heal, not only ourselves but incinerate the inner fire of hope.
It is a tale of offering up a story - and all its scars entirely to someone, someone whose pain you know well as you have seen it in the reflection of the mirror before.
understory asks us: What lies beneath the fairytale? The stories we have always known? What do we find beneath the stories we tell ourselves about the world, each other, and who we are? And what stories do we make up to conceal the secrets we crammed deep into our bleeding hearts?
Tale is forever trying to write a love story to save themselves. Then they meet Fairy in the woods - and begin to go looking for breadcrumb trails in each other's past together. Hoping to find a way out of the dark thicket they have grown to keep everyone out, it is no small challenge to open up and share their truest stories with each other.
And they begin to wonder if it is really love that will save them. Or will telling their story break the spell?
Starring Eileen Uméh as Fairy and Ella Schetter as Tale understory is the second poetry film production by poet Kate MacAlister and protest photographer & visual artist Moritz V:3res.
The project is part of the subthemes The Ecology of Language - Poetry and Environmental Action, and Healing Narratives - Poetry, Mental Health and Collective Trauma.
Author
C.Moss Collective
C. Moss Collective is a dynamic and visionary creative collaboration founded by the poet and feminist activist Kate MacAlister, and the visual artist and protest photographer Moritz V:3rës.
This unique collective specializes in the creation of poetry films and visual poems. Their projects are deeply rooted in powerful narratives that explore the themes of intersectional feminism, climate justice, solidarity, and liberation.
Above all, every story speaks of love and connection. Through their art, C. Moss Collective seek to inspire and incite rebellion. Their work is a mesmerizing blend of words and visuals that deliver stunning stories with a profound impact.
Their visual poetry inspires social justice, giving an approachable and artistic way to engage with complex political matters and the emotions of living in a world entrapped by violence and oppression while slowly dying. Telling unheard or silenced stories is the first act of connection, the first spark of rebellion.
