Whittling on the Waterfront
“Anyone can carve wood. Anyone can whittle a stick. Everyone has whittled a stick. Everyone has felt how the cold steel of the knife sharpens its white-edged blade through the warm wood of the tree of life. It’s life and death, culture versus nature, as everyone has felt when the hand curls and grips the handle.”
Kjartan Fløgstad, from the book Kniving i katedralen (2025).
The exhibition is a combination of the travelling exhibition Coast and Coastal Life and older works by local woodcarvers.
Woodworking and coastal life are deeply connected: it was with the help of wood that we conquered the sea. By whittling on the waterfront, we preserve this cultural-historical link between wood and water.
Whittling and wood carving have long traditions as a leisure activity. Few practical hobbies can be as engaging for both children and adults.
The figures in the traveling exhibition are the result of a collaborative whittling project among figure carvers from Sweden and Norway, with the theme “Coast and Coastal Life.” The project was initiated by Rune Hjelen, in cooperation with the Museum of Coastal Heritage. The project started in 2022 and has since travelled along the coast.
The goal of the project is to communicate and increase interest in figure carving and whittling as part of our craft culture.
Takk til 20 bidragsytere fra Sverige og Norge.
Thanks to the 20 contributors from Sweden and Norway.
Mina Askestad, Kristiansund
Kjell Ove Brun, Trondheim
Jens André Eidet, Vennesla
Eli Enerstvedt, Nore og Uvdal
Eivind Falk, Lillehammer
Arve Ulrik Fjeldberg, Hitra
Knut Gjessing, Alver
Rune Hansen, Steinkjer
Håvard Haugland, Kristiansand
Finn Arne Søberg Havnes, Trondheim
Rune Hjelen, Trondheim
Lasse Askelund Kongsdal, Trondheim
Geir Larsen, Ullensvang
Kjell Musland, Kvinnherad
Tom Nilsson, Lysekil (Sverige/Sweden)
Jostein Roge, Steigen
Tor Morten Solem, Malvik
Jostein Tvedt, Stavanger
Arnold Vågen, Karmøy
Hans Gøran Åkers, Falun (Sverige/Sweden)