Hellen Ascoli is an artist, weaver, and educator whose field of research focuses on the rich textile traditions of Guatemala. She studies traditional clothing and knowledge about the craft passed down from generation to generation. Primarily employing the backstrap loom in her practice, Ascoli puts her body in constant movement, weaving her sensations, ideas, and experiences into the fabric. The main challenge of working with the loom is tension; the backstrap loom used by Ascoli forces her body to trigger tension from one point to another, exploring the political relationship between body, object, and environment.