The installation was created by artist Feodor Mukhametshin who, having imagined that the rocks at Old Teriberka Bay looked like two trolls in love, set out a plot of 4.5-by-4.5 metres on which the shadows of the mythical creatures could be seen.
Trolls are fairytale spirits from Scandinavian mythology who live in the mountains and are associated with rocks. They are very popular in Norway which is near Murmansk.
The images were superimposed on the rocky walls by the side of the road, so the natural landscape of the bay wasn’t damaged. In fact, Mukhametshin had to clean tourists' graffiti from approximately 500 square metres of rock.
The opening was "imbued with a spirit of mystery” and underscored by 'In the Hall of the Mountain King' from Edvard Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite, the press release said.
The Teriberka installation is part of the research project 'Public-Art-Expedition 2021' made possible by a grant from the Ministry of Culture in Murmansk.
Teriberka is a village about 120 kilometres from Murmansk, which became famous all over Russia because of the role it played in the film 'Leviathan' by Andrey Zvyagintsev. About 40,000 tourists flock to Teriberka all year round to admire nature and to taste northern delicacies.