By Magnhild Peggy Jones Gilje

When I was asked to write a few words about the symposium, I started applying myself to what exactly I should focus upon. For every lecture, every craftsperson and every small business I encountered, I kept thinking that this is the talk/person/craft I will choose. It turned out the event was filled with so much of interest, so many exceptionally skilled people and so many interesting lectures that I couldn’t choose just one or even a few to focus upon. Instead, I will try to give a broad overview of what the participants enjoyed over those beautiful autumn days in Skien. 

To set the scene.

Skien is a town in Telemark. It nestles on the banks of the river Skienselva and the city centre itself is located where another river, the Farleva, forms the Hjellevatnet lake. Arriving in Skien on the Friday morning, I was welcomed by clear blue skies, crisp autumnal air and an incredible show of golden autumn leaves. 

The Norwegian Textile Symposium was arranged by Norges Husflidslag [The Norwegian Folk Art and Craft Association] and has taken years to plan and arrange. For many of the participants the week started with a practical course, which was booked in advance and separately from the weekend’s lectures. Here is a list of the courses and the teachers, with their Instagram handles. All well worth looking at to see some of the exceptional work done by these craftspeople.

Beadwork on bodice inserts from Hardanger – Agnete Sivertsen @agnete.sivertsen
Metal lacemaking – Anne Alette Botnevik Kolle @bunadsdamene
Telemarksbinding – Borghild Telnes @borghildtelnes
Tablet weaving – Bente Skogsaas @osebergtabletweave
Heddlecarving and weaving – Kerstin Neumüller @kerstin.neumuller
Nalbinding – Helene Henriksen @urdabrunn @husflidskonsulenten_i_mr
Drop spindle spinning – Vigdis Valde @vigdis.valde
Varafell weaving – Monika Ravnanger @osteroymuseum
Embroidery with wool – Barbro Tronhuus Storlien @frustorlien

The courses were divided into three day, two day and one day courses and were held at Telemark Museum as well as the main symposium venue, Ibsenhuset. 

I opted for the drop spindle spinning with Vigdis Valde, who is passionate about all things fibre and is a highly skilled spinner.  During the course we were able to try different types of drop spindles and different types of wool. Carded or combed wool from the Norwegian White Sheep (the most common crossbred type in present day farming) Spælsau (Old Norwegian Short Tail Landrace) and the breed known as Old Norwegian Sheep. The hours flew by and before I knew it, it was time to rush off and change into my bunad for the opening party at Telemark Museum.

Opening party with Her Majesty The Queen Sonja. 

The party at Telemark museum marked not only the opening of the Textile Symposium, but also the opening of a exhibition of Åkle [coverlets] from Vest Agder, curated by Kathrine Bringsdal. 

Telemark museum was an excellent venue for welcoming Her Majesty The Queen to the Textile Symposium. It commenced with a screening of the film Historjá which tells the story of Britta Margareta Marakatt-Labbas’s work on the epic embroidery piece of the same name. This was followed by drinks and nibbles, folk music and a wander round the exhibition, with plenty of exciting textile elements. * 

Saturday morning started off with an open market area in the large and light foyer of Ibsenhuset and this stayed open all weekend and was open to the public. The market held a wide array of stalls, from the bigger textile companies such as Krivi and Tyrihans, to smaller businesses such as Stormdal Ull, Løvli Naturull and Dalebutikken as well as artists and artisans such as Borghild Telnes and Ann Mari Jore. The local and regional branches of The Norwegian Folk Art and Craft Association were also well represented with an exhibition of local crafts. 

The lectures on both Saturday and Sunday were varied and informative, and although I would like to give a full account of them all, a list will have to suffice. The Master of Ceremonies Kim Sølve Jackobsen (known for hunting traditional skills and crafts) guided us through the tightly packed program with endless smiles and boundless enthusiasm. (More on Kim’s work: @school_of_folk_skills )

Saturday:

• Anne Bamle and the Rødtrøyebunad – Guro Nordby
• From fertility symbols to status symbols – use of symbolism in textile objects. – Mikkel B. Tin 
• Panel debate about the safeguarding of traditional crafts, led by Ellen Krageberg.
• Our textile cultural heritage – Solveig Torgersen Grinder
• A landscape of threads –  Borghild Telnes
• Woolology and stichmagic, learning through crafts. – Vigdis Valde

Sunday: 

• Woven coverlets from West Agder – Kathrine Holmegård Bringsdal
• Skautfelling (the folding of the Hardanger headdress) – Agnete Sivertsen
• Award for “red listed” heritage. Awarded to Møre and Romsdal Folk Art and Craft Association for their work on Senger og Nordmørsåkle (woven coverlets)
• DNB Savings Bank Foundation, possibilities – Tuva Løksne
• Singing Stones, the Warp Weighted loom –  Monika Ravnanger
• Tabletwoven finds from the Oseberg excavations – Bente Skogsaas. 

Kim’s enthusiasm mirrored that of the audience–seldom if ever have I experienced a lecture theatre quite so full of skilled, knowledge-hungry craftspeople and textile enthusiasts. The gentle tapping of knitting needles and the gasps of wonder as one incredible textile was discussed after another was quite something. Importantly there was also a strong thread throughout the weekend, tying in the most important questions: how can we safeguard our textile cultural heritage and the intangible knowledge surrounding it? How do we make sure we are securing this knowledge for future generations and how do we ensure that becoming a craftsperson is a viable choice today?

The name of one of the exhibitions at Telemark Museum sums up the weekend well; ALL THIS IS YOURS. It is all this material culture, the learning the skills, the knowledge of how to use them, the work that goes into growing, farming or sourcing the materials, processing them and the significance of the individual objects.It is ours, our collective cultural heritage, and I hope we keep working hard not only to preserve it but also, and most importantly, to keep it alive and thriving. 

Greetings from Gjøvdal,
Magnhild Peggy Jones Gilje
@magnhild.peggy

*If you happen to be visiting Skien, Telemark Museum is well worth a visit. The staff are engaged and helpful and the museum enjoys hosting a variety of courses, most recently courses in rose painting and spinning. https://www.telemarkmuseum.no/en/

Magnhild Peggy Jones Gilje has completed an apprenticeship in the craft of bunadtilvirking. Since 2015 she has, together with Eldbjørg Breivik Smeland and Olga Maria Breivik, worked on cataloguing woven bands in the Åmli area. Magnhild has been awarded a Norwegian Crafts Institute three-year scholarship, which she started in September 2024. She will be using this opportunity to further study woven bands and develop her skills as a craftsperson. She will be keeping an informal record of her work on her blog, which will include summaries in English: https://stipendiat.handverksinstituttet.no/bandveveren/velkommen-til-bandveverens-blogg/

October 2024