The first woman in Tatra mountain

action, series of photos and videos

Beata Laska was the first known woman to take a trip to the Tatra Mountains. According to legend, she travelled to the Green Lake in 1565 with a group of townspeople. At that time, her journey was considered immoral, an opinion shared by her husband, who had her imprisoned in the tower of the local castle after her return. The legend goes that she had a window in her cell from which she could look out at the Tatra Mountains as a punishment. Beata was not released until about six years later by the new lord of the castle, left mentally ill after her incarceration.

A series of photos and videos documents my journey to the Green Lake in the Tatra Mountain. Women’s hair are left to float on the surface of the lake. Historically, hair is seen as symbolizing both a woman’s freedom and at female mental illness (unmarried women could wear their hair uncovered until their wedding; deranged women wandered alone with dishevelled hair).

The hair is carried back down to the city after the event.