The history of duodji and the forces at work in the creative process
Duodji is the Sámi tradition of making crafts and objects by hand. In this talk, Gunvor Guttorm discusses the history of duodji and what it means to start with an idea where improvisation plays a central role in the creative process.
Drawing on her own duodji practice, she describes how working with a subject that interests her can take unexpected directions. When working with natural materials, improvisation becomes part of the process, and the final result may be very different from the original idea.
One example is the ládjogahpir, sometimes called the horn hat, and its inner structure, known as fierra. The ládjogahpir was used in Sámi communities from the 18th to the 20th century, but eventually fell out of use. Why did this happen?
Through her own experimental work with fierra, Gunvor Guttorm explores possible answers to this question and relates it to a wider range of duodji practices.
You are welcome to attend the seminar at SKH, Brinellvägen 58, or watch it on YouTube. A link will be published here shortly.
About Gunvor Guttorm
Gunvor Guttorm is a part-time professor of duodji at Sámi allaskuvla (the Sámi University of Applied Sciences) in Guovdageaidnu/Kautokeino. She also runs her own business, GG Duodjikonsult.
Her research focuses on duodji in a contemporary context and from an Indigenous perspective. Her own practical work is an important part of her artistic research.
Her recent research projects include Architecture of Aroha (2024) and Textile Heritage (2025–2030), a project led by Konstfack University of Arts, Crafts and Design. From 2020 to 2022, she led the Norwegian part of the project Arctic Indigenous Arts and Design Archives. Together with Harald Gaski, she edited the anthology DuodjiReader (2022). In the same year, she curated the exhibition Arctic Highways with Dan Jåma, Tomas Colbengtson and Britta Marakatt-Labba. She has also been editor-in-chief of the journal Dieđut.
Sápmi and its cultural history 2026–27
Following the submission of the main report by the Truth Commission for the Sámi People in Sweden to the Ministry of Culture on 30 September 2026, Kin Museum of Contemporary Art is organising a series of seminars and online seminars about Sámi history and culture.
The series is organised in collaboration with Várdduo – Centre for Sámi Research at Umeå University, Tjállegoáhte – the Sámi Writers' Centre, Stockholm University of the Arts and HDK-Valand.
The speakers are Sámi researchers and cultural practitioners, and the seminars are held in English.
The series is aimed at students, researchers, people working in the arts and culture sector, and anyone who wants to learn more about Europe's Indigenous people and related issues. It focuses on the history and cultural history of Sápmi, as well as contemporary Sámi experiences, conditions and forms of expression. Writer and literary scholar Harald Gaski is an adviser to the seminar series.
