Karen Gossart & Corentin Laval

L’Oseraie de L’île

Basketweaver

©L'oseraie de l'île

Willow ways

Karen & Corentin grow several hectares of willow on their land
They work with about 20 varieties of willow
The couple collaborate with others, including interior architects

Karen Gossart and Corentin Laval met at a craft market and have been together ever since. It is the simplicity behind willow basketry that drew them both to this art. Corentin first learned the technique of "bouyricou", a traditional basket from the Périgord, while Karen discovered her love for the craft at a training course in Ireland with master basket weaver Joe Hogan. For them, cultivating is as important as creating, which led them to take over a farm in south-west France where they grow their own willow. From harvest to weaving, Karen and Corentin work the material in its fullest form. Through L'Oseraie de l'île, they explore the limits of their technical know-how in a series of fine modern objects, subtly intertwining their distinct skills.

Interview

©L'oseraie de l'île

©L'oseraie de l'île

Can you tell us about your creative process as a duo?: Corentin: Since the start, we liked to challenge each other, the kind of "I dare you" challenge. It makes our creations evolve. We intervene in each other's work, having a second eye nourishes the process. We also work with all four hands on some pieces, which multiplies our capabilities and capacities.
Do each of you have a favourite technique?: Karen: I love working with a technique called fetching. It is a simple open weave, which implies one gesture, as a trace in the space giving movement to the willow. Corentin works mostly with spiral weaving: wall spirals and volumes. It is his meditation. He also includes a lot of wood.
How does your craft relate to the territory?: Corentin: We are bound to the territory by the willow, which we grow. There is total coherence: the farm we own was already involved in willow cultivation used for tying it to the vines. Our creative side is linked to a wider territory, to Europe. We love travelling and meeting other basket weavers.
Was cultivating willow essential for you?: Yes, we are both willow growers and craftsmen, which are two different jobs. This diversifies our activity, but also inscribes us in a committed reflection: to perpetuate the craft, we must also perpetuate the material. There is currently a willow crisis in Europe, it is not easily available.

Karen Gossart & Corentin Laval are master artisans: they began their career in 2005 and they started teaching in 2010