Monday, January 13 was a big day for the Saori Creative
Center, as it was the day they celebrated their grand opening ceremony. The
Saori Creative Center is situated 500 m down from Krung Thai Bank near Nong
Hoy Market.
Four
disabled girls and boys learn to weave “Saori”; a style of Japanese
cotton textiles.
Mr.
Miyamoto, representative of the JIGA (Japan International Cooperation
Agency), gives his opening speech.
“Saori
means having fun and being happy together, and is a way to express your
feeling in your heart,” says Eiji Jo, the president of Saori Hiroba whose
mother, Misao Jo discovered this kind of weaving.
What is Saori? ‘Sa’ comes from ‘Sai’ and means
that everything has its own individual dignity. And the ‘ori’ means
weaving.
The message from Misao Jo, born in Japan 1913, the
founder of Saori hand weaving is a very beautiful saying: “All flowers are
beautiful, even though each individual flower is different in form and
color. Because of this difference, ‘all are good’, because everything
has the same life. A yardstick cannot measure life. It is individuality that
makes everything meaningful and the uniqueness of each thread that creates
that tapestry of life.”
The plight of people and their families with disabilities
is still greatly misunderstood, even though Saori has been introduced in 36
countries around the globe, including the USA, Belgium, Canada, Hong Kong,
the Philippines, and even Saudi Arabia just to name a few. And now Chiang
Mai has joined this worthwhile project and has its own Saori Weaving Center.
The Saori method, depicted as “weaving without rules”
or restrictions, shares the belief that the potential for expression and
creativity lies within each of us. All that is needed to bring that
creativity forward is encouragement, opportunity, and recognition.
This
girl fluently demonstrates Saori weaving. She is also participating in the
sport games for disabled being held January 16-19.
HRH
Princess of Chiang Mai, Jao Rawipan Sujaritkul presided over Saori’s grand
opening ceremony.
Browsing
through the showroom with its colorful hand woven textiles.
Saori, self-discovery through free weaving, is more than
a guide to weaving. It is a tribute to the Saori artists, their families,
friends, teachers, and community workers who recognized their talents and
encouraged their aspirations along the way.
In Thailand, the artists have been involved in a variety
of activities, such as holding workshops and cooperating in projects
commercializing and marketing naturally-dyed and hand spun yarn, produced by
people in hilltribes, as a part of its social development in highland areas.
The world of Saori is a dynamic example of VSA Arts’ goal to move beyond
creating one-time experiences by fostering the enduring values of community
and sharing in ways that the arts can uniquely provide.
Behind the Saori method is the philosophy that,
“Disabled does not mean unable”. This is just to give somebody a chance
to express him or herself genuinely through art and to present this
opportunity in a unique way.
Good luck to the center, and if anyone is interested in
obtaining more information or maybe in contributing, please call the Saori
Creative Center at 053-271-641.
