This perfectly made book brings you from the northern landscape and light, its materiality, patterns, structures and surfaces to the lifestyle within this natural surrounding as represented by Aslaug M. Juliussen. From childhood throughout her working life this environment and traditions rubbed off onto her work.
Every story is result of her new intersections with nature, for example, eating both herded and hunted animals, using every part of the animal from the hide, wool, hair, bones, antlers, horns, blood and hooves to the bowels, bladder and tendons. Also from the world of flora, materials are gathered then used for food, crafts and garments that use techniques such as felting, embroidery and appliquation decoration, that are combined in large blanket-like hangings, adornments and clothing. Additionally, these materials are used to form sculptures and free standing visual art, as by using glass “icicles” and in embroideries.
This tension between nature and culture is tastefully and succinctly described by Juliussen.
All students and interested readers need to study this book and its works to understand how to use and work with found or gathered materials and animal parts, in an honest and contemporary way. In Juliussen’s works a nearly lost world is revived. The good texts clearly explain her vision in the most comprehensible way, where a circular use helps us to understand how to handle material in future to protect the esarth.
Angela van der Burght