Reconstructing a Practice

For centuries, local resources determined building traditions on the Danish island of Læsø. Living in isolated conditions, inhabitants developed crafts using available materials, such as thatching roofs with eelgrass that washed up on the shores. While historical knowledge and craftsmanship are slowly fading away, they still represent valuable heritage and have strong ecological potential. Luna Wirtz-Ortvald untangled hidden layers with local craftsmen to reveal the material narratives and properties of the eelgrass roofs. By documenting traditional techniques, she is helping to revitalise local culture, pass knowledge on, and stimulate further development. Her interactive setting on the island unfolds the original building process and opens up a collective moment of re-interpreting the initial thatching technique.