Waiting as a Method

Waiting as a Method sees Bjørn Ola Tafjord, professor of religious studies at Bergen University, in conversation with the artist Randi Nygård about the methods they use in their practices, with both participants sharing some surprising experiences they have had in their respective fields. Covering a range of topics – including patience, openness and asking the right questions – the discussion will also consider how to move beyond the obvious to allow something more profound to reveal itself. The event will be held outdoors, next to Nygård’s art project Skog vil seia samfunn (Forest Means Society, 2025).

After the talk, chef Roy Lervåg will draw on his extensive culinary knowledge to present a selection of small tastings devised around the concept of patience – whether waiting for a new season, understanding how certain ingredients develop in a symbiosis, or adopting food-preservation techniques such as drying and fermenting.

Roy Lervåg has worked in numerous restaurants in Bergen, including as head chef at Baroniet Rosendal and Bien, and as chef at Colonialen. He was the founder and head chef of the restaurant Smakifrå in Uskedalen, Hardanger. In the 2000s, Lervåg was active in the performance and electronica scene in Bergen. He now works as head chef on a fishing boat.

Bjørn Ola Tafjord is professor of religious studies at the University of Bergen. From 2007–21, he taught at the Arctic University of Norway in Tromsø. His major fields of interest include the anthropological study of religions and methodological questions. Much of his research is based on fieldwork in Latin America, especially in Costa Rica.