By Michèle Hayeur Smith
Category: North Atlantic
Women Do Archaeology: Women, cloth, looms, and power in the Viking and Medieval North Atlantic
Dr. Michèle Hayeur Smith When cloth became the basic unit of currency in the medieval Icelandic economy, women–the sole weavers in Norse society–found themselves literally weaving money on their warp-weighted looms. These textiles are an abundant, rich, and diverse archaeological source for learning about women in the past. In this talk, Michele Hayeur Smith will…
The Indigo Iona Saga and the Settlement of Iceland
Today’s featured post is by G. Scott MacLeod, who has successfully embodied the mission of the Northern Women Arts Collaborative by combining both scientific research and art. Based on an exhibit and research project carried out at the National Museum of Iceland, Scott has created a film and graphic novel about the life of a…
THE VALKYRIES LOOM: THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF CLOTH PRODUCTION AND FEMALE POWER IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC. By Michèle Hayeur Smith.
Introducing a new book by one of NWAC founding members on the textile traditions of the North Atlantic, from the Viking Age to the Early Modern Period. To be published on November 3rd, 2020 with University Press Florida. “An impressive presentation of Viking Age and medieval textile production in the North Atlantic, especially in Iceland…
The Borgund Kaupang Project, Norway.
https://youtu.be/h3lBIp4byqQ The site of Borgund Kaupang located on the western coast of Norway in the vicinity of Ålesund, is a Viking Age harbor and trade site where occupation and commerce continued until the Late Middle Ages. It was also a medieval ecclesiastic center with evidence of 4 churches, possibly even 5. It is not yet clear…
Norse North Atlantic Textiles and Textile Production: a reflection of adaptive strategies in unique island environments.
Paper presented at the 3rd International St. Magnus Conference: Visualising the North 14-16 April 2016, in Kirkwall, Orkney.
Traditional and Contemporary Textile Art in Northern Iceland
A trip to visit Heimilisiðnaðarsafnið / Textile Museum in Blönduós, north Iceland.
Reproducing a vararfeldur
By Marled Mader Varar- or Röggvarfeldur My project for this time staying ast the Textile Center, Blönduós, Iceland is making a vararfeldur. The first to reproduce a real vararfeldur were Hildur (hope to meet you sometimes somewhere in real), who is part of this wonderful Northern-Women-Project, Elizabeth from Shetlands and Marta from Norway. They wrote…
Northern Women Arts Collaborative 