Rut Fjågesund

Rut Fjågesund (born in 1993) resides on a small farm in Lunde, Telemark. Here, she has transformed a knife workshop into a small woodturning studio.

While studying to become a vocational teacher in art and design, Rut wished to delve into woodturning, both to learn a new craft and to explore wood as a material. After just a few days of training, she ordered her own lathe and began turning bowls.

Craftsmanship and material are crucial in Rut's work. She primarily uses hardwoods such as maple, ash, birch, and elm.

Rut is passionate about combining craftsmanship with a modern and clean design language. The design language is inspired by the modern Nordic design tradition with simple and functional forms. She aims to create utility objects that can also serve as sculptural pieces.

Woodturning requires a lot of preparation. The trees must be felled, sawn, and dried before they can be used. All materials used are sourced and processed in Telemark. In addition to purchasing local timber, Rut aims to produce blanks from her own forest. The first trees were felled in the spring of 2022 and will be sawn into materials the following autumn. To avoid cracks, drying must occur under controlled conditions over time, so it may take a year or two before the materials can be turned into finished products. Considerations regarding the natural qualities of the blanks, such as cracks, width, and grain patterns in the wood, help shape the final product.