Tomas Magnusson

Tomas Magnusson is participating in Sameslöjdsstiftelsen Sámi Doudji’s exhibition Duoji máttut – Vætnoen maadtoe – Duoje máddoinformation along with Julia Rensberg. The exhibition presents how duodji is practiced, and how its process relates to specific landscapes and contexts.

Magnusson makes his objects out of materials he forages in the area near his home in the territory of Jämtland. The pre-existing shapes and durability of the materials interest him. The cup is made from a burl–a knotty deformation of a tree in which the grains grow in all directions, rather than growing vertically. This makes the material particularly hard, and any object turned from a burl will be very durable. Additionally, Magnusson takes an interest in the figuration of the woodgrain, which in turn provides a pattern for the cup’s surface.

Tomas Magnusson is based in Mörsil, where he works as a Sami craftsman. He creates objects inspired by South Sami traditions out of wood, horn, and hides. He trained at the Sami education centre in Jokkmokk from 1998 to 2000.

The exhibition Duoji máttut – Vætnoen maadtoe – Duoje máddoinformation at Sameslöjdstiftelsen Sámi Duodji was produced in collaboration with Tomas Magnusson and Julia Rensberg. Here, the objects are shown along with accounts of the processes through which they are created, which largely revolve around making use of the materials nature provides and the knowledge required to shape them. The exhibition has been designed to communicate a knowledge that, although held by many in Sami society, is far less common in other groups.

Sameslöjdstiftelsen Sámi Duodji was founded in 1993 by Svenska Samernas Riksförbund and the Same Ätnam national organisation. They work all over Sweden, and prioritise finding the best ways to preserve duodji, as well as providing knowledge of and helping develop the Sami cultural heritage.