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Image above: Brooche by Tina Tvedt
TRANSFORM as the title for the local Oslo exhibition works both in Norwegian and English, as such it is remarkably fitting to the theme of this exhibition. But the meaning differs slightly in the different languages. In Norwegian the meaning fluctuates between through form and urge someone to change something into something new. The latter aspect overlapping with the English understanding of the term. Even though all the participants in this exhibition have understood the Craft Hub as an umbrella, the expression, content and material differs widely.
The participants are connected to OsloMet, two faculties are represented, Faculty of Technology, art and design and Faculty of Social Sciences. Becky Beamer, assistant professor at Department of Journalism and Media Studies, has a sensibility toward material clearly present in “no dates” with sand, glass and photobook made with hand made paper. Sigrid Haugen, assistant professor at Department of Product Design, might be on the other side of the scales, using the clay as a medium to convey tongue in cheek message jolting the reader into self-reflection. This play between conceptual and material strategies are one of the common denominators in the artworks in this exhibition.
Material presence is at the core of this exhibition. Materiality and the understanding of materials are also central to the idea of a sustainable world. In this situation, what we learn from these practitioners through their art is important. Exposure to materials gives us a sensory understanding of these. In this context Arild Berg points out that in his works the aesthetics of materials has a framework in real life and in the poetic potential of everyday situations. This understanding of the aesthetics of the material is also fitting for many of the other artists, as well as the remnants of human presence in the works. In Astrid Heimers works we can notice these traces, we can se the grip used for forming materials. This remembering through sensory experience is also present in Lena Vidas camerawork, but in a totally different way. These are only a few of the connections in the exhibition, experiencing the artworks unveils the play between conceptual and material strategies and all the possibilities of meaning.
The starting point of the Craft Hub project was the need to investigate and document craft skills and processes across Europe. In this, not only understanding material has been central in selecting the artists, but also the processes artists employ. This exhibition also connects regional practices from all over Europe with the particularity in Norway, included in the exhibition is a digital presentation of practices, objects and practitioners from all over the continent. Developing and refining technical methods, exploring traditional methods, as well as adapting existing practices to other professional fields is present in this exhibition. Crafting as activity is both the method and content in the performative embroidery and collective work Clouds in motion by the textile artist Randi Veiteberg Kvellestad that she developed with performers Heidi Dahlsveen and Anne Stray.
Through this project, and especially in meeting the artworks in the exhibition, we get an insight into the how and why of contemporary practices. We also get an understanding for the necessity of human expression through crafting. How this activity is bridging the classical gap between mind and body, and how this is important not only for the practitioners but also us who experience the works.
Text by Siv Hofsvang