STRAY SOD by Maria Lax

“There are certain places which the fairies have power over at night and if anybody goes into them after dusk, he cannot come out until morning though he may be walking all night.” — Irish National Folklore Collection 

Stray Sod investigates the phenomenon of the same name in Irish folklore: enchanted patches of earth that will lead astray anyone who steps on them. Inspired by first-hand accounts preserved in the Irish National Folklore Collection, Maria Lax reimagines rural Irish landscapes through this otherworldly lens. 

The stories describe instances in which individuals are forced to navigate a world characterised by sudden shifts into unfamiliarity and strangeness. A world in which established reference points distort and slip away, causing great distress to those experiencing it. Stray Sod draws timely parallels between these historic stories and the destabilising effects of today’s fast-changing political and technological environment.

“Many of the stray sod accounts seem to take place during periods of great change, such as a time of grieving, but can be equally seen as a metaphor for depression, addiction, shifting political landscapes or rapid technological advancements that have the power to completely upend our lives. They are stories about becoming lost; about the invisible realities that can change our lives overnight, and the unknown landscapes through which we must travel.” 

Biography

Maria Lax is a Finnish photographer and director based in London. Her work draws on folklore, beliefs and the otherworldly; themes that flow effortlessly into her work.

Her commercial portfolio includes collaborations with leading brands such as Apple, Channel 4, Vogue Italia, Chanel, Virgin Records and Samsung. Her first directing commission was a multi-award winning Channel 4 ident, and since then she has been nominated for the Young Director Award in Cannes (2025), and for the Creative Circle’s Most Promising Commercial Director Award (2025).

Maria’s work has been exhibited in more than fourteen countries and was recently featured in the Taylor Wessing Photo Portrait Prize at the National Portrait Gallery. She has published two sold-out photobooks, Some Kind of Heavenly Fire (Setanta Books, 2020) and Taken by the Tide (Nazraeli Press, 2023). Her third book, Stray Sod, exploring Irish folklore, will be published in 2026.

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