Tufenkian Increases Pledge for Nepal
Tukenkian Artisan Carpets has announced that their initial matching funds of $15,000 (USD) for Mercy Corps have been exceeded with contributions to date well in …
Month: May 2015
J. Patrick Aaron Retires – A Tribute to a Friend
J. Patrick Aaron served as “The Man in Charge” of floordesign from 1987 until his retirement on 29 May 2015. Portrait (and I use that …
The Carpets of Nepal | Part II
The mystical allure of combining modernity and antiquity in its endless permutations is somewhat irresistible to designers of modern carpets, much in the same way …
Consumers Must Show Real Empathy for Nepal
In the wake of a series of devastating earthquakes and aftershocks that have literally shaken the very foundation of Nepal, I find myself in an unfamiliar state of mind. Empathy has never been my redeeming quality, yet concern and anxiety occupy my thoughts of a people so far away, so impoverished, so disparate from my western life of relative comfort. How is it, that a Midwestern born, American expat living in rural New Brunswick, Canada can be so distressed about people he has never met? Grand philosophical reasons aside, the simple truth of the matter is that twenty (20) years ago fate and circumstance conspired as it were and I found myself at the beginning of a career, and a love affair, dedicated to modern handmade rugs and carpets and moreover to the best thereof. For those not as well versed, this includes what are arguably the very best carpets in the world: those made in Nepal. I’ve sold countless Nepali made rugs, I’ve written extensively on carpets both as an amateur and a professional, I’ve worked with some of the finest contemporary producers of carpets in the world, I own Nepali made rugs. But this isn’t about me. This is about Nepal and its people, the handmade carpet industry of Nepal, and how imperative it is that we all show real empathy for Nepal.
The Carpets of Nepal | Part I
As an industry we bring modernity with all of its inconsequential demands to a place where subsistence agrarian culture still dominates the economy, where manual labour is a way of life, and were exploitation (in wide ranging and various forms) is still a major concern. We also have the ability to bring hope, compassion, understanding, and as I’ve called for, real empathy for the Nepali people. We do this by honouring them for all that they’ve done for us, and by continuing to work with them as they rebuild their country. They are a “patient, studious, artistic, nuanced and extremely hard working people, and I would not be who I am without them.” says Tom DeMarco of Kooches, speaking words universal to any serious designer of modern carpets. With that, The Ruggist presents a photographic journey that explores the best of Nepali made carpets.
The Little Rug that Could Not
It was Tuesday, 28 April 2015 and I was reading The Facebook as it was originally called, checking in on the musings, rants, political and …