Kakuko Ishii

Since university Kakuko Ishii has worked in fiber material: raw wool, sisal, hemp and hand made paper from Japan, Korea, Taiwan and China. She is interested in the materials in their natural state and fascinated by the delicate textures and transience of the fibers themselves before they are processed. She tries to refrain from intentionally adding to the materials themselves.
In her current work she uses Japanese paper strings that are called mizuhiki in Japan. She uses ten mizuhiki as one unit and makes the work by repeated knotting of the string. For Ishii the repetition of the simple work of knotting mirrors daily life.