Yes! Things made of wool can and often do exhibit the beneficial properties of wool. But it is also the case that when we gloss over the materiality of wool – which is to say the specifics of its processing – in favour of the simpler explanation, ‘It’s wool,’ we lose our connection to tangible differences between materials.
Carpets have soul because someone, somewhere, imbued a carpet with it by trading away a portion of their time in existence. The most aesthetically and technically laudable handknotted carpets have soul, simply because they – like wisdom – take time to develop.
But handweaving, including the handknotting of rugs and carpets is not the predominant means civilization employs weaving to the benefit of humanity; handwërk such as this has, since at least the first industrial revolution, been largely supplanted by mechanized and automated means of weaving.
I love a trade show, trade fair in International English. When done well, with a fortuitous confluence of circumstance and a sufficient quorum of buyers and sellers and traders and makers, the excitement of a trade show renews a weary soul.
Populations do not need to be empowered, they need free exercise of the agency of the individual, and a marketplace which does not intentionally hold back those from a prosperity we ourselves seek.
In the trade of handknotted, no check that, in the trade of all manner of rugs and carpets, the advertising and marketing, the salesmanship, the press which self-interests itself, and yes of course my own critique of rugs and carpets must not only welcome honesty, but must also champion it above what is often not-so-politely called bullshit.
Today we are talking about the slow and anachronistic manner in which handknotted rugs and carpets are crafted; slowmaking as the firm Jan Kath has in the past used in their corporate propaganda – advertising if you’d rather.
Welcome to the first instalment of a new feature I call ‘Monologue.’ Short, concise, micro-pod-casts in which I, not surprisingly, share my opinions and thoughts about myriad topics as they relate to and intersect with the trade of handknotted and handmade rugs and carpets. It’s a – wait for it – monologue in its simplest, albeit truncated, form.
This article came to be quite serendipitously in March 2023 while I was already in Kathmandu, Nepal for field work related to Establishing Trade for …
These extemporaneous remarks were originally delivered to honoured guests, attendees, and the Executive Committee of the Nepal Carpet Manufacturers and Exporters’ Association (NCMEA) during the organization’s annual meeting in Kathmandu, Nepal on Wednesday, 29 March 2023. They have been automatically transcribed by artificial intelligence and lightly edited for syntax and clarity.
These prepared remarks were originally presented to attendees of DOMOTEX during the annual rug and carpet trade fair hosted in Hannover, Germany on Friday, 13 January 2023.
These prepared remarks were originally presented to attendees of DOMOTEX during the annual rug and carpet trade fair hosted in Hannover, Germany on Thursday, 12 January 2023.
These prepared remarks were originally presented to the Association of Rug Care Specialists (ARCS) during Rug-A-Paloosa at the world-class cleaning and rug repair facility of Robert Mann Rugs in Denver, Colorado, United States on Thursday, 3 November 2022.
The production of carpets in Kathmandu has had a transformative effect on both the Tibetan refugee population and the native Nepali people. It is an industry which during its ascent, golden years, and decline – in volume – provided much needed foreign exchange for a country dependent upon such transactions. It created wealth both in Nepal and abroad, and it has undoubtably contributed to an increased standard of living in the country of Nepal.
Whether or (k)not God, god, or gods exist is no concern today as we contemplate the unknowns beyond our grasp and understanding. This is what the idiom ‘God is in the details,’ means to me. It conveys an appreciation for all manner of things we as humans marvel at while remaining simultaneously naïve…
