How did you develop your own techniques?
I was trained as a tapestry weaver in the 1970s, but I soon started experimenting with new ways to use this traditional craft. My breakthrough came in the late 1980s with “Lava”, a series of one-metre-high urns made of cotton and flax pulp. These vessels mark my transition from textile to fibre art.
Do you think tradition is as important as innovation?
Indeed. Every day I use skills acquired through the years, using them in new combinations and taking them in new directions. Although my art today looks quite different from the tapestries I once made, in my mind they are closely related.
©Sjur Fedje
In what way is nature part of your creations?
I feel deeply attached to the nature and the culture that I am a part of. Most of the material I use is found around where I live: twigs, roots and plant fibres. Copper and iron wire is recycled locally and I also have a lot of things from my father’s workshop, who was a metal worker.
What inspires your work?
Mythology is a never-ending source of inspiration, I like to relate history to mythology as a way of dealing with what is happening in today’s world. However, more than anything else, I am inspired by my own memories and experiences – at my age I have plenty to choose from!