Lotta Rahme

Leatherworker

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Preserving prehistoric skills

Lotta has dedicated her life to upholding tanning crafts
She tans with bark and unsaturated oils and dyes with natural plants
Her workshop houses a museum dedicated to Arctic leather tanning

As a young graduate, Lotta Rahme thought she would become a building engineer. But a course about documenting, preserving and spreading awareness of pre-industrial technology made her embark on a new, lifelong adventure. Lotta specialises in Arctic fish leather tanning, but when she started, in 1982, it wasn't easy to acquire knowledge of these traditional skills. “Historically, tanning is part of the domestic work of women, so I had to travel to areas where I could find women who still tanned skins by hand.” Lotta has dedicated herself to preserving and transmitting traditional skills that were disappearing. “I learned the techniques myself and pass them on through courses, books and films. I have contributed to the regaining of the title of Master Tanner, and to giving traditional tanning the status of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Sweden."

Interview

Why do you dedicate yourself to this time-honoured craft?
I believe that it is just as important to preserve knowledge about how an object was made as it is to preserve the object itself. I have learned what I know by visiting cultures where skins are still prepared using traditional methods: the Inuits, the Native Americans, the Ainu and the Sami.
What do you like about working with different types of skins?
I am fascinated by the way animal skins can be turned into protective, warming clothing. In my practice, I try to make modern objects with traditional techniques.
Is there an important element of sustainability in your work?
The material I use would otherwise be thrown away. I transform it, employing only natural substances. With today's climate problems, it seems extremely important to preserve knowledge of how skins can be converted into functional items without the use of toxic chemicals.
Are you passing on your skills to the younger generations?
I have dedicated my whole life to teaching. My colleague Aja Pettersson and I received our certificates as Master Tanners in 2019, and after that six of our apprentices received their Journeyman's certificate. Several of my students have started their own tanneries and hold courses in Sweden and other countries.

Lotta Rahme is a master artisan: she began her career in 1982 and she started teaching in 1983