Himmeli E-Book

Eija Koski

• Herausgeber: Batsford
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 48

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

An introduction to making himmeli straw mobiles with 22 unique projects. Discover the traditional art of himmeli in this captivating book in which Finnish craft and sleek artistry intertwine to create stunning geometric mobiles from rye straw. The exquisite mobiles with their angular lines, geometric shapes and crisp, airy feeling have something natural and timeless about them. With the addition of colours and new materials such as paper drinking straws, they become modern sculptures that can adorn your home or make thoughtful gifts for friends and family. In Himmeli you get a comprehensive introduction to building himmeli mobiles alongside step-by-step instructions and a gallery of inspirational images that will help both beginners and seasoned crafters create 22 beautiful mobiles.  This absorbing book covers: • Himmeli: history and folklore • Rye straw: an introduction to materials • Geometric beauty: the basic shapes • The technique: tips for a successful build • Projects: with step-by-step instructions and diagrams  Himmeli is your key to creating timeless, intricate hanging mobiles from readily available and affordable materials to bring a touch of Nordic flair to your home.

Leseprobe

Contents

Foreword

Himmeli – history and folklore

Rye straw – the farmer’s gold

Geometrical beauty

Himmeli building techniques

Projects

Luck

Star

Crystal

Calm

Gift

Light

Prayer

Hope

Between heaven and earth

Diamond

Aurora

Reuse

Wreath

Asanoha

Arcturus

Mantra

Origami himmeli

Hilma Sievä’s ‘cute’ himmeli

Icosahedron

Travelling

Crown

Jewel

Reed himmeli

Thank you

Foreword

I was exhibiting in Vasa when a Swedish artist came over and cheerfully greeted me. ‘Hello, Miss Oro!’ he said. That was what himmeli was called in Swedish back in the day – oro. Nowadays, it is known all over the world by its Finnish name, himmeli, even in Japan and North America. There are many synonyms – straw mobile, spider or straw chandelier. But the proper name is and will always be himmeli.

I fell in love with himmeli as a young girl. I saw my first himmeli in my aunt’s cottage and she had built it from rye straw with her own hands. It was love at first sight. When I was around 20, I got together with an organic farmer who lived in the countryside and grew rye. Thanks to him I was reintroduced to the fine material of rye straw and I was encouraged to take part in my first himmeli course – and it really turned out to be my thing.

Today, around 30 years later, I am a himmelist, perhaps the world’s only full-time one. I have travelled around the world a lot, but always return home to Finland and to the original material – straw. The himmeli straw’s geometrical shapes become alive and talk the language of mathematical beauty. In 2021 even The New York Times turned their attention to me and my work and wrote an article about ‘magical straw’.

With this book I want to showcase the multifaceted design language of himmeli, through models of different designs and materials, and try to convey what it is that makes himmeli so attractive to so many. I hope you find your favourite!

With love,

Eija Koski, himmelist

Himmeli – history and folklore

Today, himmeli is a modern applied art form and experimentation with new designs and materials happens all the time. But as a traditional craft it has its origins in old peasant communities. During cold winters it was common to sprinkle straw on the floor in the farmer’s cottage as a form of heat insulation. But the straw didn’t only have a practical function: in folk belief straw was often linked to superstition. Straw was thrown over ceiling beams to ask for help, both with the harvest and for finding a suitable fiancée. The more straw that was left hanging, the better.

Straw was also used for making himmeli, which was thought to bring luck. It was the movement itself that brought luck. You had to make sure that the himmeli was in constant movement and didn’t stop, or your luck would turn … But the himmeli itself could also bring luck for the whole farm. It was believed it could secure luck with the harvest and the bigger the himmeli was, the better the harvest would be. One specific belief around Christmas was that the bread wouldn’t run out until the new harvest if a Christmas himmeli was hanging over the table.

Christmas is a celebration that himmeli is particularly associated with and you could wonder if the Christmas tree didn’t partly replace himmeli when the tradition first came to the Nordic countries from Germany. Originally, the Christmas trees were a lot smaller and were hung from the ceiling just like a himmeli! And we don’t have to go back far in time to find examples of this – I have a friend who remembers their grandfather hanging his Christmas tree from the ceiling in the fifties.

In the past, it was customary to build a new himmeli every Christmas and it was left in place until midsummer. The himmeli was hung above the table or it could be placed standing up like a Christmas tree, and people would dance around it on Christmas Eve.

It is said that some himmeli models originate from the chandeliers that were hanging in church. This is why we also talk about chandeliers when we talk about himmeli. The word ‘himmeli’ means ‘heaven’, so you can see why people would make the link between the church and the creation of himmeli.

Nowadays, we need neither straw nor Christmas to be able to hang our himmeli over the table. We can make it in different designs and with different materials, and enjoy its geometrical beauty all year round.

Rye straw – the farmer’s gold

You can build a himmeli from any hollow material, and I share a few ideas and suggestions later on in the book. Personally, I have tried many different types of materials, but my favourite has to be the classic rye straw. It’s the most genuine, and a himmeli made from rye straw has a natural feel that you can’t achieve using any other material. I also love rye because I have been watching over it in our fields as it grows ready to harvest.

The rye sways on autumnal fields of golden straws. Perhaps the farmer’s gold will have a new life as a delicate himmeli.

Why is traditional himmeli made from rye straw and not any other crop such as wheat, oat or rice straw? It’s probably because dried rye straw has the most beautiful colour of them all – a bright and beautiful golden yellow. Rye straw is also the tallest straw, which means it is the most suitable for handicraft purposes. It can grow up to two metres tall, as it does on our organic field.