Tor-Vegard Mørkved

Tor-Vegard Mørkved

Tor-Vegard Mørkved, art blacksmith, The Blacksmith in Sund (Smeden i Sund), with his world: "the only Cormorant-maker blacksmith in the World" (Verdens eneste skar. His emblematic artwork is a sculpture of a native seabird, cormorant (skarv). Tor-Vegard was born in 1965 and is a local and a native to Flakstad Island in Lofoten. He is the successor of Hans Gjertsen, the first Smeden i Sund, or as he was later called "Gammelsmeden"/"The Old Balcksmith". Tor-Vegard learned his crafts and knowledge regardindg the practice from Hans Gjertsen between 1987 and 1989 as a trainee. He took over the forge in 1989 from Hans and delevolped new versions of the previously created cormorants, and introduced new products. Tor-Vegard is also the head of the Sund Fishery Museum. The museum displays boat motors and life in a fishing village. The forge is a part of the museum. The practitoner is also known for his local engadgements. He created the light boat for the local church in Flakstad, a nordland type boat, forged from steel, to hold candles and lights in the chuch as remeberance. Tor-Vegrad is married and is a father to 6 children. He has been working as a backsmith for 38 years.

people,tours

1965

iain

English,Norwegian

Artisan

401

current,68.004948,13.207371;

Scotland

Tor-Vegard Mørkved

https://www.smedenisund.no/kontakt.html

TEXT

Tor-Vegard Mørkved, art blacksmith, The Blacksmith in Sund (Smeden i Sund), with his world: "the only Cormorant-maker blacksmith in the World" (Verdens eneste skar. His emblematic artwork is a sculpture of a native seabird, cormorant (skarv). Tor-Vegard was born in 1965 and is a local and a native to Flakstad Island in Lofoten. He is the successor of Hans Gjertsen, the first Smeden i Sund, or as he was later called "Gammelsmeden"/"The Old Balcksmith". Tor-Vegard learned his crafts and knowledge regardindg the practice from Hans Gjertsen between 1987 and 1989 as a trainee. He took over the forge in 1989 from Hans and delevolped new versions of the previously created cormorants, and introduced new products. Tor-Vegard is also the head of the Sund Fishery Museum. The museum displays boat motors and life in a fishing village. The forge is a part of the museum. The practitoner is also known for his local engadgements. He created the light boat for the local church in Flakstad, a nordland type boat, forged from steel, to hold candles and lights in the chuch as remeberance. Tor-Vegrad is married and is a father to 6 children. He has been working as a backsmith for 38 years.

MN_PR_02

688

tor-vegard@smedenisund.no

facebook,https://www.facebook.com/SmedeniSund;instagram,https://www.instagram.com/smeden_i_sund/ (@smeden_i_sund);

+47 76 09 36 29

metalwork

Tor-Vegard learned his skills from the previous blacksmith in Sund, Hans Gjertsen as a trainee 1987-1989. Gjetrsen was the "first" Smeden i Sund, (blacksmith in Sund) and he created the emblematic cormorant design. The hand forged bird figure, that stands on a piece of stone from Lofoten became a known art piece after King Olav V., King of Norway got an example from Hans Gjertsen. The king visited Lofoten to åpen a the newly completed Lofoten road, E10 in 1963. The opening ceremonies took place Tor-Vegard took over the smithy and developed the desing to its form today.

The practitioner accepts trainees. He recently had his son as a trainee in the fogre. Hans Mørkved just got his cerification as a blacksmith, he is also practicing in the workshop, working towards to become the successor of Tor-Vegard.

Agnes Csenki

male

native

The practitioner must have both practical and theoretical knowledge, connected to the metals and tools, and a basic knowledge in metallurgy. Forging is a hard physical work, that requires physical strength knowledge of the properties of the material in use, and the tools one needs. Knowing the tools he is using is essential to get the right results. Good safety routines, applied to both the person working and the visitors is also very important. Planing, design, cretive material use, reasonable materila use. The practitoner also uses obersvation of nature and humans, as inspiration in his crafts.

Sundveien 118, 8384 Sund, Flakstad Municipality, Lofoten Islands, Nordland County, Norway

Metal, steel, brass, natural stone, harvested from the sea.

full-time paid job

He previously could buy metal locally, from local distributors (f. eks. from Ballstad), but the suppliing became more centralised. Recently he buys metal from Harstad, from a supplier. The practitiones prefers to buy his tools, machines and materials locally, if it is possible. It is important for him to support the local businesses. Since Sund is a small fishing village with low population, in a remote island, it requires planning to get all the supplies that are neccessary for the poduction.

There are little leftovers, Tor-Vegard has an effective, reasonable and material-saving practice at material use. Metal is a a vesatile material and leftovers can often be used up in different projects. The practitioner has a reasonable practice in leftover management, and he keeps a limited amount of leftovers, that can be used in diferent new prodjects in a creative way. Metal can be recycled, Tor-Vegard uses the recylcling services of the closest enviromental station.

Tor-Vegard works with steel and froms warm metal into shapes. He practices traditional forging in his workshop and uses hot forging by hand and hot forging by mechanical hammer. He attaches different pieces together by welding. The practitioner finishes his products by brushig and polishing. Different finishing techniques give different results. Burning oil onto the surface provides a black finish, brushing brass onto the hot surface results a golden shine. Tor-Vegard uses epoxy glue to attach the metal figures onto the stones.

Tor-Vegards is using his own tools. Pliers in different sizes and forms, anvils, hammers also in different sizes and forms, mechanical hammers, coal forge with a fan, welding machine, grinders, and brushes. These equipment he knows well, and are adapted to his needs and ways to work.

Tor-Vegard uses his own tools, whitch are customised and adapted for his needs. Some of the tools and machinary he inherited from the previous blacksmith, Hans Gjertsen, others he bought, or created himself. He says that he is not connected emotionally to his tools, but as a matter of course he can work best with his own tools, can rely on them and in that sense he is connected to them. He doesnt find it difficult to replace his old tools if its needed.

Tor-Vegard uses a mix of energy sources in his workshop: electricity, coal burning to warm up the metals, and gas burning also to warm up metal. Electricity is used to warm up the workshop in the winter time, to operate the fan that provides oxigen to the burning in the forge. Electricity also operates the heavy, mechanical hammers, the welding machine and other small electric tools (f.e. brushes). The coal (coke, cola, rarely charcoal) he burns in the forge to warm up the metal.

During the process, a limited amount of waste generates. The waste that cannot be reused or recycled by the practitioner, are the ashes after burning coal, grinding dust and smaller metal pieces. He delivers the waste to the local enviromatal station (Mijløstasjon-Fjøsdalen) for further waste management.

Yes, the practicioner has his own workshop, that functions both as workshop and as a "showroom" to showcase his products and practice-how the products are made. He interacts with the visotors as a host. That hybrid setup offers a great opportunity by catching the interest of the visitors, creating a multi-sensory, personal experience and a will to purchase.

The practitioner produces metal sculptures, mostly inspired by nature, humans, and animals in Lofoten; sea birds such as cormorant, sea eagle, penguin. He enjoys dinamics and aerodynamica, and, dynamic human figures.

Tor-Vegard produces his products for sale. He accepts special orders on products, that are slo for sale. Tor Vegard creates works occasionaly for the community, for example he forged the "lysbåt"/"light boat" for the church og Flakstad. A traditional nordlandsboat, made of steel, where the church members can lit candles and tea lights as remeberance.

The items are sold in the workshop, in the Cafe, driven by Tor-Vegars family in the Museum area, and on Tor-Vegards webshop (https://smedenisund.no/nettbutikk/).

Orders, reparations, forging services

Yes, he offers repairs and connected sercices to the products he sells. Mostly locals use these services, since a huge percentage of the customers (tourists from differernt countires) live abroad, and geographical challanges occure by delivering the objects to the workshop. Services: polishing and treating rusted objects, reattaching objects to the "footstone".

At the highest number the customers are international tourists who visit Lofoten, at a lower number of domestic tourists. Locals also buy products from the practitioner and give orders on special projects.

Tor-Vegard has his own mark, iron stemple, that is officially registered. He is using that mark on the products he creates.

Yes, Tor-Vegard lives almost entirely off the tourism in Lofoten. He is the Blacksmith in Sund with a living and working forge/workshop, and the head of the Sund Fishery Museum. Most of the tourists come from different countires in Europe, and

No.

Most of the recent challenges circle around supplies, logistics, weather conditions and road conditions, reaching the area, travelling connections. Sund in Lofoten has limited access to raw materials, the suppliers are centralised, and the practitioner needs to travel to Harstad to buy raw materials and supplies for the production. The rapidly changing weather and storms can cause, that bridges and roads close for shorter periods, also mountain avalanches can cause a stop in traffic. Travel connections stopping or getting worse could also challenge the business. Another challenge would be if, for some reason, visitors would stop arriving to Lofoten and the public who are the market for the products (tourists) would disappear.

https://www.smedenisund.no/museet.html https://www.smedenisund.no/hva_skjer.html SMEDEN I SUND - SUND FISKERIMUSEUM - Smia og museets historie https://www.barnasnorge.no/aktiviteter/sund-fiskerimuseum-og-smeden-i-sund https://arkivinordland.no/fylkesleksikon/innhold/hendelser-og-historie/smeden-i-sund.37737.aspx https://www.visitnorway.com/listings/the-blacksmith-of-sund-sund-fisherymuseum-entrance/208940/ https://visitlofoten.com/aktivitet/museum/smeden-i-sund-sund-fiskerimuseum-inngang/ https://www.lofoten-info.no/sund-mus.htm https://paulsplanetblog.blogspot.com/2012/09/smeden-i-sund.html https://www.abcnyheter.no/reise/inspirasjon/2019/06/25/195588680/da-kong-olav-v-fikk-skarv https://no.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g612446-d4660290-Reviews-Smeden_i_Sund_Sund_Fiskerimuseum-Flakstadoy_Flakstad_Municipality_Lofoten_Islands.html https://eng.handverksinstituttet.no/ Bergland, Håvar: The art of traditional blackmithing The Norwegian perspective Bergland, Håvar: Norwegian knife making. Ancient tecniques and tradition https://norsksmedforening.wordpress.com/ Pehrson, Sjur Axel: Smedarbeid - vg2 og vg3, Yrkeslitteratur, 2009. Wefring, Christoffer-Gørrissen, Johan : Konstruksjons- og Verktøystål. Anvendelse og varmebehandling. Oslo, 1971 Norén, Karl-Gunnar-Enander, Lars: Nya järnsmidesboken. Nielsen Norén Förlag, 2008. Lofotposten, lørdag 25. november 1989 Lofot-Tidende, torsdag 16. november 1989 Dagen (Bergen), mandag 18. juli 2011 https://www.nb.no/items/2fc35b54f25090e229b415a0f5fab3ee?page=23&searchText=%22tor-vegard%20m%C3%B8rkved%22 https://nordnorge.com/en/aktiviteter/the-blacksmith-of-sund-offers-an-iron-souvenir-you-wont-be-finding-elsewhere/