The heathlands’ soil serves as a living archive in which artistic interventions can bridge the seeming gulf between our present and the deep past. Ceramic and textile artisans Helle Bovbjerg and Birgitte Munk delve into how history is materially embedded in the heathland landscape. Bovbjerg’s modest earthenware honours the communities that have inhabited and worked on the heathlands over time. Munk explores the earth’s strata, drawing parallels with the layers created in knitwear from heathland wool. Together, their works illuminate the interplay between the natural environment of the heathlands and its historical and contemporary culture. Both materials and craft are rooted in the landscape.
Local Soil
Helle Bovbjerg, Vessel. Local clay, earthenware with slips. H 12 x 38 cm.
Helle Bovbjerg’s works are crafted primarily by hand, using partially locally sourced materials and minimal tools. The works are shaped by hands and knuckles, leaving visible imprints on the objects.
The vessel represents the communal meal – a daily ritual of sharing and nourishment within the household. People ate with spoons, sharing the same vessel. The basket honours the act of gathering, designed to carry and hold foraged food.
Helle Bovbjerg, Dish II. Local clay, earthenware. Diameter 40 cm. In the wet slip, made by coloured clay, visible traces and marks from the black crowberry (Empetrum nigrum) can be seen in the surface.
Helle Bovbjerg, Dish. Local clay, earthenware. Diameter 42 cm. Flat and formed round dish with visible marks from knuckles in the object. The dish is slipped with coloured ball clay and oxides.
Helle Bovbjerg, Spoons. Local clay, earthenware. H 27–32 cm.
Left: Helle Bovbjerg, material research. Earthenware. Diameter 6 cm
Right: Helle Bovbjerg, Red basket. Stoneware. H. 33 cm
Helle Bovbjerg, Baskets. Hand pinched stoneware. H 33 x 33 cm, 33 x 44 cm, 52 x 34 cm.
Knitted Memory
Birgitte Munk, Threads I, II, III. Intaglio prints: W 460 x H 630 mm.
Birgitte Munk, Threads. Intaglio print image: W 330 x H 190 mm
In Birgitte Munk’s project Threads, wool and knitting are explored and juxtaposed with layers of soil on the heath, presented as photographic close studies. A hand-knitted woolen sweater from the 1970s is transformed into new knitted objects that can provide warmth, adornment, and protection in an unsettled and unpredictable time.
The sweater is cut into smaller pieces, unravelled, and reknitted. Threads are plant-dyed with reeds and heather to create yellow and burnt hues. What emerges from the process? Necklaces, bracelets, collars, chokers, and hats come into view. The knitted objects can be experienced as a collection of finds from the past, yet they also point towards a future where the reuse of precious materials and the labour of the hand may become essential.
The back of the sweater is meticulously examined for joins, loose ends, and traces. Parts resembling landscapes emerge. Photographs are printed as graphic intaglio prints – a technique whereby the motif is pressed into damp paper, producing subtle details. Roots and threads converge into new motifs.
Birgitte Munk, Threads. Knitted objects.
Birgitte Munk, Threads. Knitted objects.
Birgitte Munk, Threads. Knitting process.
Birgitte Munk, Threads. Knitted objects