SAORI Weaver- profile #5 Tamaki Kumasaka
Tamaki is a SAORI weaver at "Enjoy Life - Art SAORI" in Fukushima, Japan. She has been weaving for 16 years, and is famous for artistic weaving style. She is a commissioned weaving artist by Fukushima city Art Museum. She also enjoys singing, dancing, and playing Cajón.
SAORI Weaver- profile #6 Aya Michihata
Aya has been going to SUYO since 2009, weaving for 6 years on every Wednesday and Friday.
She expresses her joy and sorrow by hitting her own body. She enjoys joking with people, especially with her Osaka dialect.
Very flexible and cheerful. She loves music and enjoys playing rhythm percussion like Taiko drum, Tambourine, Maracas and others. Sometimes she is under the stress because of her indecisiveness. She is keen on aesthetic sense, and very sensible about beauty and cuteness. She has the tendency of excessive obsession about her own belongings. She also has the tendency of losing her temper when she is irritated. She is very strong and sometimes she would knock the loom over.
She loves her parents and often her weavings are for them.
SAORI Weaver- profile #7 Mitsuyo Mizuta
Mitsuyo has been going to SUYO since 2007. She has been weaving for 7 years.
She collapsed with a subarachnoid hemorrhage and hovered between life and death a few years before she started coming to the Atelier. She had a narrow escape from death, but got the right side of the body paralyzed. At the same time she lost her language.
Before this incident, she used to work at a public bath. She was rather taciturn. She would intently weave.
She goes to the Atelier every Friday from 1~3pm. She would weave mindlessly. Her goal is to work at the public bath again. She loves Japanese sweets and she looks out the window and enjoys the view outside.
She has been able to walk a little out of rehabilitation. She has recently regained her smile. She even laughs at the joke sometimes. Her relaxed smile revives the memory of her working at the public bath and smiling to everyone.
SAORI Weaver- profile #8 Yukari Tsuji
Yukari has been going to the Atelier SUYO since 2010. She had had experience of Saori weaving before that.
She came across with this band that was form at the Atelier, and wanted to join the band, that was how she met the Atelier.
Now she weaves there every Wednesday.
She is good at singing and dancing. Her voice is transparent and she dances like ballet but free.
Her weaving is very original and creative. She also went to Fashion Institute, and she is good at making garments as well.
She is also good at drawing. Her work is mostly collages of all materials. She creates picture diary whenever she has time.
She has her own imaginary figure called “Poe Poe Rabbit” which represents herself.
Her work submitted this time, was created by connecting undone warps and wefts that she left out on purpose.
SAORI Weaver- profile #9 Jun Kashimoto
Jun has been going to Atelier SUYO since 2011. He has been weaving for 4 years.
He weaves twice a month in the morning of Saturday. He spends his weekdays at community habilitation.
He weaves very slowly. After a few shuttle through, he stops and gets lost in thought, he goes to the bathroom, and he walks around. Very free spirited tall man. Slowly paces weaving results in bold and lumpy work. He spent 9 months to complete 3 feet of work. He certainly has his own pace.
SAORI Weaver- profile #10 Hideaki Sakamoto
Hideaki has been weaving for 10 years. He has a gentle soul and loves to communicating with people. He is good at dancing and shoveling snow. He likes bright colors and especially wool.
SAORI Weaver- profile #11 Toyoaki Fukuyama
Toyoaki started to weave at Saori Hiroba in 1994. In 2 years, he had his first exhibition in Amami Ohshima Island. As such he had 3 more exhibitions in 3 years. In 1998, he established his own Saori studio. Following year, he attended VSA Arts Asian conference and the world conference in LA. Except for having his own exhibition every year, he has been traveling around the world including Bali, Thailand, Turkey, Korea, and China.