For six years now, every winter I have organized the free webinar series Masters of Sloyd, which revolves around preserving traditional crafts and everything related to them. This season as well, I found five speakers from the Netherlands and abroad who were willing to share their knowledge with us.
Wild Wood and Eternal Forests
On January 8, ecologist Bert Maes spoke about “wild wood,” how it was used in the past, and why it is important to protect wild tree species. After an interesting introduction, we watched the Dutch film Eternal Forests together, followed by a fascinating discussion on the topic. So fascinating, in fact, that this webinar will probably have a follow-up in the form of an excursion to a wild forest. Keep an eye on the website for more information, or subscribe to the newsletter.
Woodcarving for Wellbeing
On January 22, the British craftsman Alex Finberg spoke about a subject that is close to my heart: how woodcarving contributes to people’s wellbeing. What it means to be in a state of flow, the social aspect, and the psychology behind it. You can read his interesting presentation here.
The Mora 105
In the first week of February, the widely renowned spoon carver Jan Harm ter Brugge spoke at length about the Mora type 105 carving knife and the way you can literally tailor it to your hand by modifying the handle. As a bonus, he demonstrated how to make a sheath from birch bark and how to sharpen the knife.
The Treadle Lathe
From Scotland, the British woodcarver and toolmaker Robin Wood spoke about the traditional foot-powered woodturning lathe. Robin talked about the history and about how he rediscovered this craft, which had been virtually extinct for decades.
The Cooper’s Craft
The final webinar of this season also focused on a craft that had almost disappeared: making wooden barrels and buckets. Martinus van der Wal, who is now a full-time cooper, talked about the history, the different types of barrels, the tools, and his own journey in learning this craft.
On to the Next Season!
I certainly plan to organize a new series of Masters of Sloyd webinars again this autumn. I have already been in contact with several interesting speakers, but I am also very curious about topics you would like to learn more about, or perhaps even talk about yourself. If you have suggestions or wishes, I would love to hear from you via the contact page!
Masters of Sloyd: By and For the Community
Masters of Sloyd originated from my curiosity about traditional crafts and the people who still practice them today; I find it valuable to help share this knowledge, because these crafts can bring us closer to nature and to one another. The speakers contribute entirely on a voluntary basis and participation is free for everyone. That will remain the case! Many of the participants have voluntarily contributed to the costs through donations, and I am very grateful to everyone for that. For instance, this enabled me to offer live translations.
In short: I would love to hear from you, and otherwise I hope to see you again after the summer at one of the webinars!