In Finland, a traditional craftsman turns bark into works of art

Born in the eastern Finnish town of Lieksa, Pekkarinen says his interest in bark dates back to his youth when he worked as a lumberjack. Photo: AFP

In his rustic cabin in the forests of southern Finland, 87-year-old Erkki Pekkarinen carves delicate strips of birch bark with his knife, before intricately weaving them into beautiful objects.

“I started practising at the age of 10. You could say that for 77 years I’ve been fiddling with birch bark,” says Pekkarinen.