Bit Vejle

Paper Cut Art

Paper cutter

©Bit Vejle

Paper stories

Bit’s paper-cut stories are rooted in ancient Nordic wisdom
The tools she uses are just paper, a pair of scissors and a pencil
She likes to define her work as “slow art”

Danish-Norwegian craftswoman Bit Vejle crafts unique creations by cutting patterns and designs in paper using only a pair of small scissors. Psaligraphy, as this art is called, is traditionally practiced in Denmark especially at Easter, when children commonly make greeting cards using just a sheet of paper that is folded to cut out a design. This was also Bit’s favourite ritual when she was growing up in her native town of Brovst. Over the years, it became a profession: her first exhibition was held at The National Museum of Decorative Arts in Trondheim, Norway, in 2008, and her art soon spread throughout Scandinavia and all the way to the USA and China. She enjoys listening to music while cutting, and to introduce a great degree of humour in her world of imagery.

Interview

©Bit Vejle

©Bit Vejle

When did you first come across psaligraphy?: One day, when I was 16, I saw a man sitting by the lake at Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens who was cutting a piece of art from paper. Back at home, I grabbed my mother’s embroidery scissors, and I have been cutting every day since.
Why did you choose craft as a profession?: I worked as a television producer until the early 2000s, when I was diagnosed with a neurological disorder characterised by chronic pain and exhaustion. I turned to paper cutting to keep my mind busy when my illness forced me to take a leave of absence from work for several months.
What happened next?: A co-worker visited me in Norway, where I was living. Stunned by what I was creating, he called the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design in Trondheim. Encouraged by the curators, I eventually quit my job and focused exclusively on my paper cutting.
How does your inspiration come to you?: Designs often pop up in my head as I’m falling asleep. After I wake up, I rip off a swatch from a specially sourced 10,000-metre paper roll on which I draft some lines to indicate the general shape of the cut. Then, I just start: this is where the magic kicks in.

Bit Vejle is an expert artisan: she began her career in 2007