Til Gudbrandsdalens Uldvarefabrik

From autumn 2012 onwards, I explored the history of GU and its production, preparing to take part in the group exhibition A Thousand Threads - A Story Told in Textiles at Lillehammer Art Museum. The exhibition was shown from November 2013 to May 2014.

To Gudbrandsdalens Woollen Mill was a company portrait presenting the history of the mill as part of the cultural history of Lillehammer, as well as its role in keeping production such as this running and developing in Norway today. The work described my experiences at the mill, and the process of manufacturing textiles that I carried out during the period of a year.

The management at GU went out of their way for me to get to know the factory. Frode Svarstad, one of the owners, put together a programme that lasted a week, during which I spent one day in each department. After this I had open access to the archive, and was given my own office space. I discovered that GU is defined by the high production volume at the mill, and that there are few openings for experimentation beyond what must be done to deliver orders. I found myself in continuous negotiation with requirements for efficiency, with respect for the tasks and working hours of the staff.

I spent a lot of time in the archives and workshops and became familiar with many of the employees. I observed the structures and processes of production. During the year I spent periodes at Lillehammer, I created a large number of photographs of production equipment and people at work, selected objects from the archive, interviewed one employee in each department, and created my own textiles woven in patterns sourced in the archive. I dyed yarn based on the interior of the factory, inspired by the machines and surfaces of the building. I used yarn from the company storage, but also my own cashmere and silk from the Cariaggi spinning mill in Italy. The textiles regularly produced at GU are relatively heavy, and I explored what results I could get by using lighter yarns in other fibres than wool.

The installation in the museum included a series of photos developed in collaboration with the photographer Fin Serck-Hanssen, as well as textiles based on weave patterns found in the archives, archive material, interviews with employees and documentation material.