Reflections: Rhea Kay

This whole experience has been amazing. I got the chance to be in Norway for both snow and summer like weather, to go in a wind tunnel, to witness ‘ski-shooting’, to go up mountains, to meet brilliant people, to live next to a forest and lake, to see fjords and more. I feel extremely lucky to be part of Shetland to Voss 2014 and to have lived and worked in a country I have always wanted to go to.

While I was in Voss I was working at a place called Bunadsloftet, a little building where Norwegian national costumes (Bunads) are made. There are seven women who work there, four of whom opened the business almost thirty years ago. They were all very welcoming and wonderful to work with and learn from.

I worked mostly with Astrid and Ingrid, who specialize in women’s Bunads. With a lot of guidance from them I helped to make things like shirts, skirts, waistcoats, coats, and embroidery. This involved measuring/cutting fabric, sewing machine work, various hand sewing/embroidery techniques and loads of patience! Doing this made me realize the huge amount of work and craftsmanship that goes into each Bunad which made me really appreciate it.

This September I will be beginning the Contemporary Textiles course at Shetland College. Being in such a diverse country has given me inspiration and everything I learned from my work placement has made me more skilled and prepared for the course. I feel more confident in terms of textiles and hope to incorporate what I have learned into my future work.

I would fully recommend anyone to who has the chance to apply for Shetland to Voss in the future to go for it. It is an amazing once in a lifetime opportunity.