craft and social change

Norwegian Crafts hosted their second London conference which examined crafts contribution to shaping society. Craft and Social Change was a thought provoking day and a half with a succession of fascinating speakers. In the days since I've been observing what thoughts have been triggered and what ideas keep returning. The speaker who seems to have lodged in my brain is Irene Nygardsvik, she trained as an economist but couldn't act in a way that traditional economic theory dictated, i.e, to get the most output with the least input. Irene feels this kind of thinking takes away love and she proposes A Humanistic Economy Based on Generosity and Dignity. She believes we are entering an era where it is time to get lost, explore and create playful and creative relations.

What resonated for me was the poetic notion of 'the soil of the soul'. A place within each of us where while engaged in a particular activity we are in flow, lit up, inspired and most US. She believes you can sense when another has been into the soil of their soul, when you read their words, see their work, hear their music and can tell they found gold. What I particularly enjoyed was the idea suggested by Irene that human beings are 'a wandering measuring tool of quality' and goosebumps are the sign from our intuition and emotions that we have found quality. Always take notice of your goosebumps!

A decade ago during my MA show at Goldsmiths College, London, I received a compliment I've never forgotten. Someone told me the hairs had stood up on their arms when they walked into my installation, the piece (a slide projection in a dark space of the image below) had bypassed their intellect and registered with their primitive brain. Yes yes yes.

Theres No Place Like Home, 2003

When speaking of the soil of the soul, Irene shared this poem by Jon Fosse.

Let the rain pour
Let the sun see
Let the wind blow
Let my heart beat