Karen Bit Vejle or Bit, as she's commonly referred to, is Danish and she's a paper cutter who explores the world of psaligraphy. It all sounds very simple doesn't it but her pieces are intricately magnificent and her works have been exhibited all over the world.
As Bit says,
'If my art can make you stop
and wonder for just one instant,
I think that would be wonderful'.
and wonder for just one instant,
I think that would be wonderful'.
Psaligraphy is a very slow art that is achieved with paper and a small pair of scissors. It's a precise art where even the smallest of mistakes can be disastrous and it's also a fine art that is linked to the past, even right back in the 1st Century when the Chinese invented paper and started cutting it before they used it for writing.
The art of paper cutting is especially popular in Asia and one of the areas known to me is in Korean Hanji. In Hanji we use a small knife rather than scissors and trace over patterns but, as far as I'm aware, with psaligraphy it's more of a freehand action.
It's also popular in Bit's native Denmark. In Denmark the paper cutting art has evolved from the old tradition of Gaekkebrev—a letter sent around Easter to a person one is in love with which included a paper cutting with a verse. This custom was also practiced in Germany and Norway in the 1600s.
The Danish poet and storyteller Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) was the best known paper cutter in Scandinavia of his time. He loved to tell a new story while cutting the paper and he would finish both at the same time. The unfolded content of the paper would then be revealed to the spellbound audience.
Brit doesn't necessarily follow tradition though. She's developed her own unique paper cutting style and is now in high demand by museums and top end companies such as Hermes, Georg Jenson and the Hilton Hotels to provide displays for their spaces and products.
It's also popular in Bit's native Denmark. In Denmark the paper cutting art has evolved from the old tradition of Gaekkebrev—a letter sent around Easter to a person one is in love with which included a paper cutting with a verse. This custom was also practiced in Germany and Norway in the 1600s.
The Danish poet and storyteller Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) was the best known paper cutter in Scandinavia of his time. He loved to tell a new story while cutting the paper and he would finish both at the same time. The unfolded content of the paper would then be revealed to the spellbound audience.
Brit doesn't necessarily follow tradition though. She's developed her own unique paper cutting style and is now in high demand by museums and top end companies such as Hermes, Georg Jenson and the Hilton Hotels to provide displays for their spaces and products.
Thamks Ulla, from Copenhagen, for making me aware of this lady and her wonderful work. I'm in awe. Check out her website.
Beautiful work. I had never heard that word:Psaligraphy. had no idea I was a Psaligrphist. www.tahitipehrson.com
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