Ida Hagen presents Norway Designs NÅ Vol. 5 IDENTITY with a series of small handwoven tapestries. The tapestries form a mosaic of Hagen's history and identity; each color represents one or more significant elements in Hagen's life, and together they present both the dynamic and the fixed, where the new enters into dialogue with the old.
For this series, Hagen has chosen to use three different types of yarn in addition to the linen warp that frames the whole thing. She has spun the white yarn by hand from wool from her hometown, Gausdal. In this way, the yarn represents the origin, base and starting point of Hagen's identity, the very backbone, so to speak. The orange yarn belonged to Hagen's grandmother, who was also a weaver. The grandmother is part of Hagen's history and identity, and their shared interest in weaving is brought together through these works. In the interplay between the grandmother's yarn, the dull orange, and the contrasting glossy, blue-green, which is Hagen's personal choice, a dialogue is thus established between the two across time. Both have and had a strong urge to create.
When it comes to the motifs, Hagen wanted to bring out the duality in his own and everyone's identity. The white triangle has a fixed shape and position in all the works, and it represents the parts that are static and unchanging; like where you come from and who your family is. The second form differs from work to work and refers to the parts that are dynamic, changeable and constantly changing.
About Ida Hagen
Ida Hagen is 38 years old and originally from Gausdal. Today she lives and works in Oslo where she works as a translator and textile artist, while also completing a master's in French. Hagen is self-taught in weaving and handicrafts.
