In 2023 the Swedish artist Johan Thurfjell and the American musician and composer Nate Harold were invited by Pike School of Art in McComb, Mississippi to come for a residency to work on a joint art project. Johan had an idea to create a board game based on the local legend of a monster in the neighboring community of Chatawa, and Nate was brought in to create the soundtrack.
In February 2024 Johan and Nate travelled to Chatawa with a prototype of the game, cameras and recording devices. Through Calvin Phelps from PSA, they came in contact with two residents of Chatawa; Hap Phillips and Zach Henderson, who took them out in the swamp and gave them the detailed stories of the monster legend and the paranormalities in the area.
In October 2024 the Chatawa boardgame, complete with a 45 min soundtrack, debuted at the exhibition The Borderlands at Södertälje Konsthall.
Website for Johan Thurfjell: www.johanthurfjell.com
Website for Nate Harold: www.nateharold.com
Website for Pike School of Art: https://psa-ms.org/
Hap Phillips in Chatawa, MS
Nate Harold, Zach Henderson and
Johan Thurfjell in Chatawa, MS
Chatawa at Södertälje Konsthall