Nordmørsmusea presenterer: Nevespråk

HANDLING LANGUAGE – action-based knowledge in traditional crafts and arts and crafts

They say it’s in the hands. But what exactly is handling and how can it describe how one works with traditional crafts?

Meet doctoral fellow Siri Skjerve and hear her talk about her research on action-based knowledge.

The doctoral project is a collaboration between Nordmørsmusea and NTNU, supported by the Research Council of Norway. Craft knowledge that is transferred through action is primarily bodily and experience-based. Management occurs at the individual level, and this makes the field of knowledge vulnerable. The research results can therefore be used to point the way forward and reveal the need for conservation and development measures for action-based knowledge as cultural heritage, and how we can facilitate good learning arenas and the different practices of professionals.

Siri Skjerve (b.1979 in Oslo) has for several years explored skin and naturally tanned leather as artistic materials. She lives and works in Todalen, and runs a practice that is mainly based on skins from local hunting. Although the craft is as old as humanity, skin as a conceptual material is an underdeveloped language, culturally and in the field of crafts. Skjerve's artistry shows the material as a carrier of a universal human language, with the potential to reflect people from all cultures and at all times.

Siri Skjerve has had several solo exhibitions, and participated in a number of juried group exhibitions. In 2025, she was awarded the state's 10-year artist grant for established artists, and her works have been purchased by the Purchase Fund for Norwegian Crafts for KODE and by KUBE. As an artist, Skjerve has had work stays at, among others, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, ULU of Norway and in Nuuk, Greenland. In addition to her artistry, Skjerve has been chairman of the board of Norwegian Craftsmen, and is currently pursuing a doctorate at Nordmørsmusea and NTNU