Willow Coffins - Weaving life into death - Caz Ingall - BS041
Patreon support - https://www.patreon.com/buildingsustainability
This episode I'm talking with Caz Ingall, who is a willow coffin weaver.
We talk, not just of the process of weaving a vessel to bury a loved one, but a lot to do with the disconnection our modern culture has with death and the grief surrounding.
About Caz:
"I started working with willow more than a decade ago and was immediately hooked on both the craftform and the fact that I could be in control of everything along the journey of bringing a basket into being - from growing, harvesting and preparing the willow, to using only my hands and a few simple tools to create a wide variety of beautiful and functional items.
Helping to weave my aunt-in-law’s willow coffin after she died in 2015 was a profoundly moving and beautiful experience. Not only did it open my eyes to a new level of willow work, it also really clarified my perception of our modern culture’s disconnection from death, dying and grief, and offered a way for me to take my basketmaking skills in a new direction.
I knew at that time I wanted to eventually make my own coffins. Five years later, over a period of four days, the amazing Mel Bastier taught me and my husband, Tom, how to weave a coffin from start to finish. From this place, Wild Heart Coffins was born… "
Links from Episode 041
- http://www.marybutcher.net/
- https://outtolearnwillow.co.uk/ (Mel Bastier)
- https://www.instagram.com/foragedfibres
- Natural Burials
- Katrina Spade TED Talk
- https://recompose.life/
- Green Funeral Company TED talk
- https://asbp.org.uk/asbp-awards-2021-longlist
- https://www.patreon.com/buildingsustainability
- BuildingSustainabilitypodcast.com
Join us for informal conversations surrounding beer, film, politics and philosophy.
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Caz Ingall
Willow Coffin Weaver
I started working with willow more than a decade ago and was immediately hooked on both the craftform and the fact that I could be in control of everything along the journey of bringing a basket into being - from growing, harvesting and preparing the willow, to using only my hands and a few simple tools to create a wide variety of beautiful and functional items.
Helping to weave my aunt-in-law’s willow coffin after she died in 2015 was a profoundly moving and beautiful experience. Not only did it open my eyes to a new level of willow work, it also really clarified my perception of our modern culture’s disconnection from death, dying and grief, and offered a way for me to take my basketmaking skills in a new direction.
I knew at that time I wanted to eventually make my own coffins. Five years later, over a period of four days, the amazing Mel Bastier taught me and my husband, Tom, how to weave a coffin from start to finish. From this place, Wild Heart Coffins was born…
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