Throw "Away" Rugs - Abstract or Intentional?

Rugs have been a tool of trade, savings, and artisan folklore for many many generations in Morocco. They are useful pieces of heritage arts.

The rugs are ubiquitous in 'souks' - markets of Marrakesh. There are many different styles, weaves, techniques for rugs, each with a sales pitch equally, unique to match each characteristic.

We are lucky to have spent a nice period of time in Marrakesh, feeling the pace of life here, walking the Derbs (streets)... learning about rugs. We have been staying with our friend who has worked and lived a life in Moroccan rugs for almost 50 years. Being this close to a lifestyle of Moroccan trading guilds makes it more real. It also means we get the inside scoop on rug sales and history.

The rug market is volatile. Prices tick up and down based on international trends. In person, prices can also rise and fall immensely depending on your understanding, interest, or good manners. The general rule is to pretend less interest in the rug you really like and bargain for it last.

Recently, there has been a flurry of articles about newly popular scrap rug art collectors in Marrakesh and Fes, Morocco. This has caused interest from our rug dealing friends and prices rise. Were we not in the heart of rug markets and Morocco would likely have had no idea that 'scrap' rugs were so en vogue: We have been surrounded by them. These rugs are everywhere covering the hand carved mosaic floors in the Riad where we are staying. They were an afterthought.

In realizing the recognized artistic quality of these rugs all around us, we venerate more the trader's eye and skillful selection of what makes the place so special. These rugs are a lovely art form. They are abstract, original, and very intentional in their artistry. Certainly, due to popularity, various rugs come in and out of production. News articles in far away lands cause looms to go to work in small villages here.

What could have caused such art movements in 'scrap' both 25 years ago and today? Are there intrinsic post-modern ingredients forming art? How are the ways which art movements are formally or informally being created connected to ways our popularity of world art trends are formed today?

It is wonderful to discover a 'sameness' in craft and art very far removed from where we think it belongs. Our friend here in Marrakesh is an expert in Moroccan art and textiles and has an incredible aesthetic eye. His shop, called Imports from Marrakech, in Manhattan's Chelsea Market specializes in Moroccan decorative art and design, with items available for event rental as well.

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Learning by Design

In Sofia Bulgaria we had the good fortune to stumble upon a 2nd annual week of artistic celebration entitled, “More or Less: Sofia Design Week.” Happening across Sofia, Bulgaria the international event organized by “One Magazine,” an Independent Bulgarian Bilingual Publication, gathers some of the most avant-garde names in contemporary product, communication, interactive, and graphic design. The 2010 themes reflected much of our own recent thinking and themes which have emerged from our blog.

As organizers wrote in exhibit introductions this year, “More or Less? That is the question this year. But what is the answer if we ask this question in terms of design? Under inevitable influence of long, difficult words such as ‘financial crisis’ and ‘global changes’,” in the second edition of Sofia Design week organizers aimed to ponder that broad question with the following list of short but not very easy questions:

More or Less?
Low-cost or long-lasting?
Practical or beautiful?
Simple or elaborate?
Less or more?

“Of course,” they concluded, “the more we argue, the less likely we are to find a real answer. But still, what about getting together?”

Before viewing or studying the background of their work, the organizers and participating designers were onto something significant. What does the simple question ’More or Less?’ mean in today’s world; in conditions of emerging or real international concern We found the whole project a success.

Several exhibits we saw deserve mention per relations to themes already discussed in our blog. The ideas grabbed our attention We spent time inspecting and discussing workshops vs. their provocative outcomes.

First off, there was an interactive workshop which we had missed; but, which we were able to enjoy the results of, entitled: “Do More with a Plastic Bag.” This workshop formulated by an outrageous ad agency KesselsKramer was based on their “do” initiative. It was created to be a reaction against passive consumerism. KesselsKramer asks in the workshop that each “do” product asks for greater involvement from its maker. So the “Do More with a Plastic Bag” asked all its participants for greater involvement by way of sticking, painting, cutting, weaving etc.

Do More with a Plastic Bag - Design Workshop

The work had taken place. We saw was the display of the workshop’s results. We saw products of different people’s interpretation of this “do” initiative. “Do More with a Plastic Bag.” workshop had already produced plastic bag clothes, costumes, reusable shopping bags, cups and plates, vases, shoes, and sculptural items of every different possible consideration. One of the designers of the workshop from KesselsKramer, Jennifer Skupin, developed a knitting kit which encourages making new, more durable plastic bags from your old ones. In most of our ’developed’ countries use of plastic bags is not even an afterthought to our consumption. Plastic bags accumulate under sinks and in cupboards. Do more: Reuse.

A different designer, Thomas Mailaender from France, took on the subject of tourism. His exhibit consisted of staging every possible tourist pose in front of an erupting volcano. His design project asked questions both about what we seek as tourists and what we do our tourism for. While his pictures were humorous, they showed lengths which people will go to with no clear goal of what is likely to be achieved.

Thomas Mailaender: Extreme Tourism

The exhibit gathered together various design specialties from professionals at varying levels of experience or notoriety in their craft. It appeared a very democratic and inclusive event. If you are going to be in Sofia late spring 2011 or beyond look for this interesting and far-thinking event. To see examples or read about this year’s event visit their website.

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