Laven, 84 Ulaveien presents
A cushion and wall hanging installation: a rare opportunity to experience embroidered memories through pattern and colour
16-19 July and 23-26 July 2026
About the exhibition
Collecting Norway's Cultural Threads
Since moving to Norway, I have collected embroidered woollen wall hangings and cushions from jumble sales and charity shops, domestic textiles that have been discarded and abandoned. These objects, once proudly displayed in Norwegian homes and hyttas , carry traces of lives lived: family histories, changing tastes, tradition passed between generations.
Many of these textiles belong to a rich vernacular culture of making. They were stitched by hand, by both men and women, given as gifts, displayed as symbols of home and belonging, and treasured for decades. Yet as lifestyles change and ideas of modernity evolve, such objects have often fallen out of favour. What was once cherished has become overlooked.
As an English outsider living in Norway, I found myself drawn to these unwanted embroidered textiles with similar patterns that can be found world-wide . That they were being thrown away raised questions about cultural memory and value. Why are certain histories preserved while others are discarded? What happens when everyday objects, which quietly record the lives of ordinary people, are no longer considered important?
This installation brings together a collection of rescued textiles, probably the largest private collection in Norway, that might otherwise have been lost. Through their bold embroidery and patterns, wear, and repair, these pieces speak of labour, care, identity, and belonging. They are not presented as nostalgic artefacts, but as living documents that continue to carry stories.
By collecting and preserving these works, I am not only rescuing lost art; I am safeguarding fragments of a cultural history that risks disappearing. The installation invites viewers to reconsider the value of what is often overlooked and to reflect on the memories woven within the embroidered threads
These textiles remain witnesses: to the hands that made them, the rooms they inhabited, and the lives they accompanied.
Lizz Daniels
