Craftswoman

What do our hands remember that would otherwise be lost?
In Finland, craft does not live only in museums or history books, but in people’s hands and in the knowledge passed down through generations.
American filmmaker and textile artist Madison McClintock follows Mervi Pasanen, Heli Karmakallio, Hanna Noren and shoemaker Hanna Piipponen from Tuupovaara through Finland’s changing seasons, for whom making things by hand is work, creativity, tradition and a way of finding their place in the world.

Craftswoman feels like a gentle antidote to our times, as traditional skills risk being lost in the accelerating pace of modern life. Craft traditions can be recorded, studied and explained, but their survival ultimately depends on people. Natural materials and traditional skills offer a connection to the past without romanticising it. Our hands create living history, carrying the knowledge of generations – which stays alive only when someone takes it into their own hands and makes it their own.

Joining us at the screening is master shoemaker Hanna Piipponen, who will answer audience questions and share her experiences of working with traditional crafts.