After spending time in the Balkans, I became interested in the multitudes of stories whispered through the small cities, of science and art cloaked in folklore and mythology.

 

Shot in a small city near Dubrovnik, Croatia, STARS, LOAVES, EGGS follows an ancient tradition of humans seeking out sea urchins.  Originating from Suffolk in Eastern England, a story goes that the name of 'Fairy Loaves' was given to the heart urchin Micraster because they resembled round loaves of bread. People would place an urchin by the hearth in hope that it would ensure the household would always have bread. If the household went without bread for more than a week, it was thought witchcraft had stopped the Fairy Loaves' protective powers.

 

In other myths, fossil echinoids are considered to be Snakes' Eggs. It was thought that at midsummer magical Snake Eggs were formed by the froth from snakes. The froth, shaped into a ball, was believed to have the power to protect one from deadly poisons. If stolen from the snakes during midsummer's eve and kept on a piece of cloth, the ball would retain its magical powers.