Saskia Saunders

The practice

Artist profile

Saskia Saunders treats weaving as a way of shaping attention. Fine variations in fibre, tension and line create surfaces that reveal themselves gradually as daylight changes. The work rarely competes for immediate attention; its strength is the calm and concentration it introduces into a space.

Traditional weaving knowledge provides the technical foundation, but the compositions are distinctly contemporary. Folding, pleating, hanging and restrained geometry allow woven structures to move beyond the flat textile. Repetition records time spent making, while small deviations preserve the presence of the hand.

Quiet is not used as a synonym for passivity. In a visual culture organised around speed, these works make slowness perceptible and give subtle material relationships unusual authority. Their cultural value lies partly in restoring duration, touch and close looking to the experience of contemporary art.

Methods and evidence

Sustainability and practice

Saunders works predominantly with plant-based, vegan fibres such as linen and other renewable yarns. Material selection is joined to a philosophy of slow production: each work is made through labour-intensive processes that prioritise control, longevity and a close understanding of how the fibre behaves.

This approach does not remove every environmental impact associated with growing, processing or transporting textiles. It does, however, create a clear framework for decision-making based on renewable materials, disciplined use and durable construction. Sustainability becomes a practice of care embedded in pace, sourcing and the intended life of the work.