LAGGING

Red List of Norwegian Endangered Crafts

Due to globalism, shifts in the global market, and modern production methods, Norwegian craftsmanship techniques and skills have long been in danger of going obsolete. To prevent this, UNESCO accredited «Norges Husflidlag» as an NGO in 2014, giving them new possibilities to help preserve this vital part of our cultural heritage.

As a result, they have created a red list of Norwegian handcraft techniques that are in the danger of going extinct, called «Rødlista», and are continuously setting up local, expert project groups inviting designers and others who are interested to learn about, and hereby take part in the preservation of, the skills listed.

Kathrine has attended several workshops hosted by this organization, and through an exploration ofthe vulnerable and distinct techniques called lagging, kipebinding, and the making of ølhøne she has designed three unique and contemporary objects; a table, a stool, and a bowl. The products are meant as a homage to the past, aiming to show how age-old crafts and skills can be modernized and made relevant once again.

This ancient technique of lagging was used to produce solid wooden containers that could hold liquids such as water, milk, and butter. By holding on to the main components, the form and shape have been altered in its assembly, making the bottom part a tabletop, and the wall structures the legs of the table. The outer parts where usually planed by hand, and this is here reinterpreted and recreated as a decorative element.