2013 Maiwa Textile Symposium

Nazome

Hiroshi Saito

$90 includes 30 lab fee

Nazome 1 October 11, 2013 - Class Limit 16

Nazome 2 October 12, 2013 - Class Limit 16

Maiwa Loft: Above the Net Loft, Granville Is. Vancouver BC

Hiroshi Saito is famous for two things: his art, and his ability to orchestrate acts of community-building around a long sheet of white cloth.

Known as “Nozome,” these fantastic events are staged outside with groups of up to 100 people. Using brushes and colourful fabric paints, Hiroshi supervises the collective colouring of 20-meter lengths of cloth. Nozome are  about individuals coming together in wonderful acts of group creativity.

In 2012, his Nozome projects in the Tohoku district of Japan brought a moment of peace, productivity, and enjoyment into the lives of earthquake and tsunami victims who are still living in temporary shelters. 

The first half of the workshop will be an opportunity for participants to learn about Nozome and Hiroshi’s art activism. Hiroshi will explain what makes a successful event and detail the many ways Nozome have been staged in the past. During the second half of the workshop, students will participate in an actual Nozome event conducted outside, right on Granville Island. 

Instructor Bio

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.