2013 Maiwa Textile Symposium

Lecture Life is Cloth

Hiroshi Saito

7:45 (Doors open at 7:30) $15.00

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Net Loft: Granville Is. Vancouver BC

Join internationally renowned textile artist Hiroshi Saito for a walk through his life in cloth.

Hiroshi was born in 1947 in Yokohama (near Tokyo). For many years he was a silk dyer, colouring cloth to be used in traditional kimonos. Each day he would dye up to 10 bolts of fabric exactly the same colour. At age 35 he decided that there was more to life and he began experimenting with handwoven cottons. The cotton from Thailand, Peru, Mali, India, and China appealed to him because of its warm, human quality. His extensive knowledge of traditional dyeing techniques is now used in the production of materials and clothing for contemporary Japanese dance and music companies.

Hiroshi Saito also works on large installations, including one he performed in the renowned Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York. He is also well known for “Nozome,” an outdoor activity in which he supervises groups of up to 100 people dyeing 20 m lengths of cloth.

Hiroshi says he loves to travel and to leave his mark. “Most people take photos when they travel,” he says, “but when I find a place I really like, I’m going to commemorate it by dyeing cloth there.”

Hiroshi joins us from Japan.