EN | Přednáška | Program pro všechny
Can craft be the answer to a fast-paced world?
In this talk, Samuel Alexander gently introduces wood carving as a path to mental clarity and inner calm. He believes that in an age of rapid technological progress, returning to analogue craft can be an innovative way to reconnect with ourselves, our ancestors, and deepen our relationship with nature.
He reminds us that crafts like wood carving have always been part of human life. It was industrialisation that replaced them with machines. And only now are we rediscovering their value and the power of creating with our own hands. With limited institutional support for crafts, especially in Europe, Samuel sees the need to expand their positive influence on human wellbeing.
During the talk, he shares his personal experience with depression and PTSD, and how carving helped him through recovery. Drawing from his observations while leading courses in London, he explores the connection between wood carving and other holistic practices that engage the body, breath, and mind. A part of the talk is dedicated to presenting a simple concept of what he calls carving meditation. This is an approach you can try at home using just a knife and a foraged stick. It serves as a tool for returning to yourself and finding calm in daily life.
Samuel also offers insight into the current carving community, its values and approaches, and opens a space for dialogue with the wider public. He shows how wood carving is being rediscovered as a living, modern creative practice.
The talk also touches on wood as a material, the sensitivity required when working with it, and sustainable ways of sourcing it. It’s an invitation to not only work in harmony with nature, but to cultivate a deeper respect for its rhythms and living presence.
At the end, you’ll have space for questions and reflection.
Let yourself be inspired to view artistic craft in a new light, and to experience wood carving as a tactile space of energy, focus, and care. Connect this practice with your own rituals and ways of working with emotional energy.
Samuel Alexander (UK)