Interweaving - Fiber and Clay

''Interweaving – Fiber and Clay'' explores cultural memory, material transformation, and the intersection of craft and contemporary art, fostering a deeper appreciation for the interconnected histories of art, craft, materiality, and cultural storytelling. Rooted in memories of Japanese rituals and materials, each sculpture became a guardian—an offering of resilience and protection. In a time of instability, the slow acts of weaving, dyeing, and hand-building became gestures of care and repair. Threads hold clay; clay shelters thread. Through this dialogue, Saito searches for resilience, for the quiet strength within making, and for ways to preserve what must be held. Combining hand-built stoneware with hand-dyed silk threads colored with natural dyes, the work employs the backstrap weaving technique—a body-centered process in which the warp is tensioned between a fixed point and the weaver’s body, where the weaver becomes a part of the loom. Backstrap weaving is one of the oldest weaving techniques, with a rich heritage across Asia and Central and South America. Japan's history of backstrap weaving dates to the Yayoi period (ca. 300 BCE– ca.300 CE). Through her research and residencies in Japan, Peru, Guatemala, and the United States, Saito reconnects with this timeless practice, discovering not only a means of artistic expression but also a deep connection to humanity’s shared heritage—a thread uniting us through cultural diversity and creative ingenuity.

Terumi Saito is a New York–based Japanese-artist whose practice interweaves textile and ceramic traditions, exploring cultural memory, material transformation, and the intersection of craft and contemporary art. Her work reimagines ancient techniques, merging them into sculptural compositions that meditate on the continuity between body, landscape, and craft heritage. Saito has conducted research and residencies in regions where endangered backstrap weaving traditions remain active, including programs with master weavers in Peru and Guatemala. During her 2024–25 Artist Residency at the Museum of Arts and Design (New York), she deepened her exploration, expanding the dialogue between fiber and clay within her practice.