Ståle Johan Aklestad

Ståle Johan Aklestad (b. 1980) is a woodturner and photographer based in Molde and Hjørundfjord. His search for lines found in nature has led to a series of wood products that lies in the intersection between function and art.

We are constantly alternating between the monotonous and repetitive, and the moments where we need to be utterly concentrated and fully focused. This is the dance of life, and for Aklestad, this is also the dance of creating.

Wood is a living material, and variations in color and pattern are endless. Creating in wood is a slow process, but at certain points, it is all at stake. In his work, Aklestad is always in search of the perfect line, the one waiting to be revealed in the specific object and the specific piece of wood. Each bowl is uniquely and carefully handmade in his workshop in Hjørundfjord, situated in the heart of the steep and jagged Sunnmøre alps.

Shop objects by Ståle Johan Aklestad

Aklestad's process starts with the tree being felled, and through several stages involving experience and knowledge of the material and how each species dries and moves, the process finally leads to the finished product. This may take weeks and months, sometimes years. The products are made to last, and while some are intended for daily use, others are objects where the form is the function. In his series :bleached and :structure this is the case. Almost like black and white photography, these series strips things down, forcing more or less all of the attention to the lines.

Aklestad received a scholarship from Møre og Romsdal Fylkeskommune in 2019 to further develop his modern expression in this traditional craft.

Watch the film “Lines” made by Jacob Stærk here: