Vestnorden Arts & Crafts 2004
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West Nordic Arts & Crafts Exhibition 2004
Vestnorden Arts & Crafts 2004 was held 15. - 19. september in Laugardalur Sports Hall. It was the largest handicrafts exhibition that has been held in Iceland and the exhibitors came from 14 countries and regions in the North Atlantic and the Arctic area. Almost two hundred crafts men and women exhibited their items and they came from Iceland, Greenland, The Faroe Islands, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Samiland, Estonia, Lithuania, Orkney, The Shetland Islands, Nunavut and the North West Territories of Canada.
The arts and crafts items at the exhibition were both traditional handicrafts of the various regions and international modern work. The largest group of exhibitors came from the country that hosted the exhibition, Iceland, 38 participators that showed traditional carving, knitting, weaving and national costumes but also textiles, clothes, glass ware and jewelry. The Faroe Islands sent modern clothes of wool, ceramics, glass and vases and sculptures made of metal. Inuit handicrafts came from Greenland and the northern part of Canada, for instance goods of sealskin and fur, clothes of moscus wool, jewelry of silver, copper, gold, reindeers antlers and narwhales tooth, carved items of stone and wood, ceramics, decorations of moose´s tuft, drums and prints.
From Denmark came a large group of crafts men and women that were also teachers of their trade and they displayed for instance jewelry, knifes, prints, weaving, embroidery and things made of wood, glass, bone and horn. Crafts people from Nordland in Norway brought furniture, embroidered pictures, woven northern lights, fancy hats, knitted childrens clothes, decorative painting, ceramics and Sami items made of wood, bone and skin. The Swedish delegation came from Uppland, which is the region north of Stockholm, with leather goods, printed blankets, metal works, weaving, jewelry of silver and recycled things, felt and items of wrapped steel wire. From Finland came pillows, dresses, items of paper mache and printed t-shirts.
The Samis showed shoes and clothes made of reindeer skin, embroidered gloves and baskets, containers of birch and reindeers antlers, and bags made of skin, wood and horn. From Orkney came raku ceramics and woolens and from the Shetlnad Islands came a full sized Yoal, a traditional Shetland boat. knittet hats, gloves and coats, jewelry and leather goods. From Estonia came traditional weaving, lace, embroidery and wooden toys and from Lithuania came wooden crosses and shrines, black ceramics, clothes and other textiles.
