Torvald Moseid spent 14 years completing the last of his embroidered monumental works – the tapestry illustrating the legendary medieval poem Draumkvedet. The origin of the tale is unknown, and it was passed down orally for generations before the first version was written down in the 1840s. Most of the recordings were made around Eidsborg Stave Church in Telemark, but also in Setesdal, where Moseid himself was born and where he first heard the poem performed at the age of nine.
The poem tells the story of Olav Åsteson, who falls into a deep sleep. When he finally awakens after 13 days, he mounts his horse and rides to the church to recount his visions. Åsteson reveals that he has seen into the realms of heaven and the depths of the abyss, that he has crossed Gjallarbrui – the bridge that separates this world from the hereafter – and witnessed the judgment that falls upon humankind on Judgment Day.
At nearly 55 meters wide, the tapestry holds a unique place in modern Norwegian textile art. Moseid used neither cartoons nor sketches before creating the motifs more or less freehand with needle and thread. The technique he employed was simple laid work, where the thread is placed on the surface and fastened with small crosswise stitches – a method that allows for a delicate and intricate expression. In Draumkvedet, it is as though Moseid is almost drawing with thread across the linen canvas.
The work was donated by Telenor Group to Sørlandets Kunstmuseum/(now Kunstsilo) in 2016.
Listen to Agnes Buen Garnås sing her version of The Dream Ballad in the exhibition.
TIMES
Monday: 13 & 15
Tuesday: 13 & 15
Wednesday: 13, 15 & 18
Thursday: 13, 15 & 18
Friday: 13, 15 & 18
Saturday: 13 & 15
Sunday: 13 & 15