photographs by harley weir
styling by Dilara Findikoglu
Throughout history, humans have personified the Earth as feminine; a caretaker capable of both formidable power and nurture. It follows that witchcraft, which has an innate connection to nature, has long been associated with the divine feminine. In their new photobook, WITCH, photographer Harley Weir and designer Dilara Findikoglu bring that history to the present. The pair pays homage to the women who embrace their identities as witches while exploring the relationship between femininity, nature, spirituality and rebellion.
“By linking the feminine relationship with nature and the unseen, society transformed what it could not understand into something to fear,” Findikoglu said in the press release.
Weir and Findikoglu sought to challenge these historical misconceptions about witchcraft while traveling across eight cities and villages in Romania over the course of just five days. In speaking with a range of women about the country’s traditions of folk magic and mythology, they found Romania’s land, people, and the ancient knowledge they carry still very much alive.
Among the women photographed were Mihaela Minca and her daughters, widely considered the most powerful witches in Europe. In their sacred ties to nature, tradition, and feminine knowledge that exists outside institutional power, their lives show the lived reality and truth of witchcraft.
“This zine is a celebration of women, the complicated, the powerful, the unruly, the tender, the
strange and the unapologetic. Women. Witches,” said Weir.
WITCH, published by IDEA, was released Oct. 31; you can purchase a copy here.
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Photographer Harley Weir and Designer Dilara Findikoglu Reclaim the Witch
Photographer Harley Weir and Designer Dilara Findikoglu Reclaim the Witch
