About

Tom Faulkner invites you to explore the versatility of Sabi Washi (Japanese paper) and how it is being reinvented by Sakuho Ito, an artist from Shimane Prefecture, Japan. Ito’s Sabi Washi is made through an original process she developed whereby metals such as copper and iron are mixed with traditional Japanese papers like mitsumata and kozo. Through natural oxidation, these papers acquire unique rusted textures and unexpected colours.

In Ito’s words, ‘Sabi Washi displays the undeniable passage of time, highlighting the beauty of ageing and rusting. The rusting process creates colour and texture like human ageing leaves traces of time on the skin. There is a heavy, serene feeling that rusting objects produce.’

(c) Photograph by Ruth Ward