Hand-knotted Carpet Weaving with Open Studio
Open Studio is an intensive two-week program which provides insight behind the scenes of commercial carpetry (the craft of hand-knotted carpet and rug weaving), so as to inform a new cohort of designers, creatives, salespeople, and the so inclined about the connections between craft, commerce, and design. Zekö Designs and Karnor Carpets have enlisted Michael Christie, The Ruggist, to guide and instruct the program as participants create designs which are then translated into maquettes which they then follow through the finishing process.
Since carpet weaving was brought to Nepal by Tibetan refugees in the mid-twentieth century, carpetry has largely been a commercial concern. With manufactories historically centred around the Boudha Stupa in Kathmandu, the industry is renowned for producing bespoke and customised orders for a global upmarket clientele. Largely designed by creatives outside of Nepal these designs represent the state of the craft of carpetry, yet there is a degree of opacity clouding sales and making.
While not a true weaving workshop insomuch that participants are not intended to come away with the ability to weave a carpet, the workshop is amongst the first, if not the first, to provide this level of information and transparency. ‘The intent is to bring carpetry into the modern world,’ says Christie of Open Studio. ‘By providing as much information to as many interested people as possible, we hope to foster well-informed decision-making for carpetry in the future simply by showing in context how things are done.’
Intended for those in the commercial sales, design, and trade of hand-knotted carpets, Open Studio is likewise well suited as an introduction for those considering expanding their own designs, woven or otherwise, into a commercial collection. As a participant in the initial ‘Open Studio’ in the autumn of 2023 stated, the robust program ‘...now stands as the single most meaningful educational experience of my career.’
In order to ensure adequate one-on-one instructional and lecture time, Open Studio is limited to 8 participants each session. Participants from all backgrounds are welcome with English proficiency as a requirement. Registration for the Autumn 2024 session of Open Studio closes on 2 August 2024.
Images courtesy of Open Studio Kathmandu
Find out more and apply:
openstudioktm.com
Since carpet weaving was brought to Nepal by Tibetan refugees in the mid-twentieth century, carpetry has largely been a commercial concern. With manufactories historically centred around the Boudha Stupa in Kathmandu, the industry is renowned for producing bespoke and customised orders for a global upmarket clientele. Largely designed by creatives outside of Nepal these designs represent the state of the craft of carpetry, yet there is a degree of opacity clouding sales and making.
While not a true weaving workshop insomuch that participants are not intended to come away with the ability to weave a carpet, the workshop is amongst the first, if not the first, to provide this level of information and transparency. ‘The intent is to bring carpetry into the modern world,’ says Christie of Open Studio. ‘By providing as much information to as many interested people as possible, we hope to foster well-informed decision-making for carpetry in the future simply by showing in context how things are done.’
Intended for those in the commercial sales, design, and trade of hand-knotted carpets, Open Studio is likewise well suited as an introduction for those considering expanding their own designs, woven or otherwise, into a commercial collection. As a participant in the initial ‘Open Studio’ in the autumn of 2023 stated, the robust program ‘...now stands as the single most meaningful educational experience of my career.’
In order to ensure adequate one-on-one instructional and lecture time, Open Studio is limited to 8 participants each session. Participants from all backgrounds are welcome with English proficiency as a requirement. Registration for the Autumn 2024 session of Open Studio closes on 2 August 2024.
Images courtesy of Open Studio Kathmandu
Find out more and apply:
openstudioktm.com