Read the original article in Italian on Hanabi Temple's website.
Probably not many of you have heard of Takako Saito and her participatory art. Even international scholars seem to have overlooked her—perhaps due to her modesty and reserved nature, or her cosmopolitan spirit that kept her from staying in one place for many years. Yet, over the course of her prolific career, she has created several noteworthy works, including imaginative chessboards, melodious cascades of paper cubes, and interactive events. With this article, we aim to introduce you to some of her work, hoping to involve you in the discovery of her captivating art.
A Young Woman in Search of Freedom
Born in 1929 in Fukui Prefecture to a traditional and oppressive family, Takako sought independence early on. She attended a women’s university to become a teacher and joined the Sōzō Biiku Undō 創造美育運動 (Creative Art Education Movement). This movement, founded in 1953 by Teijirō Kubo, aimed to promote creative education.
Through workshops, events, and the development of educational materials for teachers, Takako deepened her understanding of art and met inspiring people. One of the most influential encounters in her life was with Takao Iijima (1931), better known as Ay-O, an artist involved in avant-garde movements in both Japan and New York. His stories about the American art scene and the freedom experienced by female artists overseas fascinated Takako so much that she decided to move there in 1963. Ay-O also knew Yōko Ono, who was already active in the U.S. creative scene and served as an important bridge between two still quite distinct cultural worlds.
New York and Fluxus
Shortly after arriving in New York, thanks to her connections with fellow Japanese artists, Takako Saito joined Fluxus—an international group of artists working across multiple disciplines, which shared several similarities with the Sōzō Biiku Undō. Leading the movement was George Maciunas, a sensitive and intelligent artist, though also irascible and difficult to work with. However, Takako was undeterred by his reputation and frequently helped create objects and editions conceived by Maciunas.
During her childhood, Takako had gained hands-on experience in manual work—sewing parachutes for the war effort alongside her classmates and spending time observing carpenters at work. These unusual skills made her an invaluable member of an artistic collective that produced its own objects.
Fluxus also organized communal dinners and shared events. Among those attending were young Japanese female artists such as Shigeko Kubota and Mieko Shiomi, who had moved to the U.S. in search of emancipation.
Her time with Fluxus was crucial in developing Saito’s expertise in constructing intricate objects and artworks, skills that would remain a fundamental foundation for the rest of her career.
An Obsession with Chess
After Fluxus' communal dinners, Maciunas would stay behind to play chess with Takako for hours. The conceptual complexity of board games fascinated many artists, including Marcel Duchamp. Takako, too, was drawn to chess—not just for its strategic depth but also for its playful and mechanical aspects. From 1964 onward, she began crafting imaginative and futuristic chess pieces and boards. The first of these was Nut and Bolt Chess, made from a wooden panel and hardware store components.
Over time, Saito experimented not only with unusual materials but also with different principles and logics. In works such as Sound Chess, Weight Chess, and Smell Chess, the pieces differed not in appearance but in weight, scent, or the sounds they emitted. This forced players to engage all their senses—not just in strategizing but also in identifying the pieces themselves. Through a familiar game, Saito encouraged a new exploration of the world and social interactions.
Cubes, Creativity, and Participation
Building on this experience, Saito realized the effectiveness of interactive works in helping visitors discover their own creativity. As she had theorized during her time in the Sōzō Biiku Undō, play and active participation could stimulate the senses and imagination. Using cubes in various materials and dimensions, she created diverse compositions and experiments.
For example, Small Box of Cubes (1965-66) is a box filled with small wooden cubes that can be used as building blocks or musical instruments. When scattered on the floor, they bounce and collide, producing unpredictable sounds. A similar concept applies to Music Bottle (1967), a bottle filled with paper cubes that can be shaken or overturned, accompanied by the instruction "pour like water," inviting participants to treat the cubes as components of a musical waterfall.
Books as Performances
Among the various countries where Saito spent creative periods was Italy. Moving to Asolo in 1975 and later to Reggio Emilia, she specialized in bookbinding and publishing artists' books. She continued creating participatory performances, which found great success in Italy. She even wrote to Maciunas about how the flexibility of her job allowed her to dedicate time to crafting the hundreds of cubes needed for her art.
Her Italian experience taught her the potential of books as both body and space, turning poetry into a tangible, limitless medium. Her books defy traditional formats—no numbered pages, no conventional bindings, no words, no plots, and no covers. They are materialized actions, shaping artistic choices made during their creation or prompting new ones.
One striking example is A book (1994). It consists of two wooden slats bound with twine, containing five scrolls the length of the artist’s body, rolled into cylinders. The cover bears the following message:
"Read them all in the same tone. Read them in different tones depending on the diameter... make a sound as if you were crying... fill it however you want."
These instructions guide the creativity of the reader, transforming them into much more than just an observer.
Communicative Art
From 1979 onward, Takako Saito settled in Düsseldorf and began selling her works through Noodle Editions, which granted her the independence to develop what she calls "communicative art." One of the most notable pieces from this period is You and Me Market, which features portable stalls displaying dried organic waste (peels, nutshells, etc.). The accompanying instructions read:
"This is a kind of self-service meal. Take a container and fill it with whatever you like from the stall. Then write your name on it. I will do the same."
The filled containers become unique artworks, co-created with the audience. This challenges the notions of ownership and authorship, blurring the line between "artist" and "ordinary person."
Takako Saito Continues Her Participatory Art
More recently, Saito has continued working on artistic events that engage visitors and integrate their experience with her own. One 2015 piece merges various aspects of her artistic philosophy and is described as a total artwork. She wears a "book-dress" made of fabric pockets containing crumpled pieces of paper. She then approaches a participant, pulls out a slip of paper, unfolds it, and recites the syllables written on it. The chosen person is then invited to respond with any sounds they prefer, much like in a jam session. Here, roles blur—everyone becomes a musician, artist, and interpreter in their own unique way.
Despite her crucial role in Fluxus and her inventive creativity, Takako Saito's contributions have long been overlooked. However, recent reassessments of Fluxus have brought renewed attention to her work, particularly her communicative art and artist books. Exhibitions like Resonances of DiStances (2021) in Düsseldorf are granting her newfound recognition—hopefully inviting audiences to participate, just as she would wish.