Chairmaking With Nature

Traditional craftsman, Jason Mosseri is helping people to connect with nature through innovative chairmaking courses which are good for the soul.

Jason’s six day courses transport people away from the modern world by teaching them the traditional craft of making an English Windsor Chair deep in a tranquil Sussex woodland.

‘I would like my students to experience the satisfaction of making something useful entirely by their own hand and for them to be able to retreat for a short while from busy lives and hectic schedules,’ he says.

Jason holds his courses in designated ancient woodlands in East Sussex, 15 miles north of Brighton.

His students start the week with a fresh ‘green’ Ash log which they learn to slowly craft into a piece of strong and useful furniture. All his methods are traditional and have no need for electricity.

‘Every student leaves the woods with a finished chair that is both elegant and strong,’ he says. ‘The course is primarily concerned with chairmaking, but there is an equally strong emphasis on enjoying and connecting with the natural surroundings of the woods.’

‘Its lovely to see students understanding the relationship between the Ash trees that are growing around them and the material that we are working with – this is a connection that is becoming increasingly thin in the modern world.’

Last year Jason taught more than 30 students and says he has had nothing but positive feedback. He says people are overwhelmingly appreciative of the opportunity to step off the treadmill of modern life to soak in the tranquillity of the natural world.