Klara Pil

Basketweaver

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Listening to the willows

Klara makes baskets with her own locally harvested willows
She uses the bird weaving technique to make baskets as well as for bigger installations and shapes
Her pieces are proof of the beauty of basketry's simplicity and practicality

Klara Pil chose her artistic name when she started making baskets. “People found my real name hard to pronounce. One day, on a bus tour with friends, we did a role play and I was Klara,” she recounts. Pils in Norwegian means willow and so was born the name Klara Pil. Her profound love for the material is her main source of inspiration. Starting with the willow bundle, Klara explains that she listens to it and adapts to its strength and softness. “I love making baskets. They are long-lasting items that people use in their daily lives. I also use intuitive and traditional techniques to make larger installations,” she says. In 2023, Klara moved to a home with a barn that she transformed into her workshop. Teaching has become an important pillar of her practice, and she shares with contagious enthusiasm, giving confidence to basket weavers who cross her path.

Interview

Why is teaching so important to you?
I really love making baskets and I see the impact of my teaching. It inspires all the people interested in basketry to use the same materials as me, to create something with their own hands. I see the hope and confidence they gain and that makes me happy.
Is basket weaving an endangered craft in Norway?
It is, because in Norway the basket weaving community remains relatively small even if it is growing a little every year. It is still fragile and we need to preserve it. That is why I teach so much and why I am thrilled to be part of the Homo Faber Fellowship 2024-25.
Why did you decide to harvest your own willows?
I love to search for wild willow in the forest in winter time, but it is not easy to find and I would not have enough to make my baskets. Planting my own willows gives me autonomy for a full year and I feel so happy not to have to source my material elsewhere.
What tips would you give to all the basket weavers out there?
I would advise any new basket weavers to build their business model with a teaching component. Today transmitting my craft is a big part of my income, and at same time you feel part of a nice weaving community. It gives you lots of positive energy.

Klara Pil is a master artisan: she began her career in 2007 and she started teaching in 2003