Time is halted in traditions. Customs and costumes are thought to be timeless, or could in fact be invented traditions. This link to an immemorial past is utilized by political regimes and institutions in general to show a legitimacy with concerning what culture is. This question of culture and custom question has also preoccupied Erla S. Haraldsdóttir also in her most recent work., gouache paintings and, prototypes of the “traditional” Icelandic folk costumes for women are compounded with anatomical diagrams of women’s reproductive organs. Anatomy being a recent science in history is conflated with the constraints of timeless culture. The women’s folk costumes are a focal point for showmanship and competition: they are what Alfred Gell would call a technology of enchantment. Which both seeks to impress, and psychologically overwhelm others.