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DESIGNER RUGS
Discover our colorful design collaborations
DESIGNER RUGS- Main
JULIEN DE SMEDT x UFR
"Capitalism has increasingly become the prevalent authority in how our society functions, often at the expense of the planet’s ecosystems. To capture this phenomenon, we propose a visual representation that reduces nations to their currencies, stripping away the most immediate casualty of this process: our oceans. In this reimagined world map, the absence of the seas causes the continents to collapse into a singular, unified mass - an abstract financial map of the New World. Ironically, this apocalyptic scenario - a reflection of our current trajectory - is handmade into a plush, comfortable rug to sit on."
Drawing inspiration from mapping, anthropology, economics and politics, De Smedt's designs invite reflection on the trajectory of our society. With abstracted mapping patterns, dynamic textures, and striking color palettes, the designs offers a blend of artistic expression and meaningful storytelling.
“As a two-dimensional surface, the rug is a spatial medium for architects to experiment with the interior of architecture as both a spatial but also graphic condition. In this collection of rugs, we sought to explore the relationship between plans, elevations, and the possible three-dimensional applications of the rug as a two-dimensional graphic medium.”
JIMENEZ LAI x UFR
MOS x UFR
‘A Twice Woven Rug’ re-invents the conventional flat-woven rug by employing an inventive new production technique, borne of the traditional processes inherent in weaving.
"Wool is handwoven into 25cm strips. These strips are then woven again into a loosely woven rug. It is woven twice. It looks woven. The rug looks like an oversized detail of a flattened basket. It looks like something small, enlarged - a collection of knots that create a place. [At first,] we cut strips of paper and wove them together; a simple childish activity. We made models and drawings. We made different arrangements. We looked at them. We made some small ones that we carried around with us in our notebooks. We made some larger ones that we pinned on the wall. We made some large ones to sit on. We tried different colors. We tried patterns. It took time. These are from that series of work."
Based on recent drawings from his “Resonances” series these rugs were created in response to the architecture of various relational sites of social exchange that make up the urban environment. Skyscrapers and skylines, towers and buildings, zones, paths, and parks, inform and are recast in a series of overlapping, repeating, reformulated geometries, systems of exchange articulated through the reverberation of form. Focusing on architectural relationships, these works were produced in conversation with cities that bear a diverse history of the built form in their articulation of spatial dynamics and representational politics.
“Architects have a seemingly unlimited faith in the power of the grid, a mastering system that has become dominant in a significant portion of the modern American cityscape. The set of drawings used in the design of this collection of rugs explores the potential of the contemporary grid and vibrant colors. “
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