Iwan Maktabi Collaborates With Middle Eastern Designers For New Project
The renowned carpet brand has joined hands with designers from the Middle East and beyond for ‘Iwan Maktabi X’: a project where art, design, fashion and architecture beautifully merge together as one
For its latest venture, Lebanese carpet brand Iwan Maktabi has invited architects, interior, fashion and product designers and artists to project their visions onto carpets.
Entitled Iwan Maktabi X, the collaborative project highlights a modern approach to traditional carpet-making. Several artists and designers including Nadine Kanso, Roula Salamoun, Gregory Gatserelia and David/Nicolas are showcasing their stunning designs on woven tapestries. Each artist has taken a unique approach by drawing inspiration from their own design language, cultural myths, nature’s aesthetics, science fiction and antique carpet designs.
Below are the featured designs from the Iwan Maktabi X project.
Nadine Kanso
Artist and jewellery designer Nadine Kanso was influenced by all forms of Arabic culture, especially calligraphy and pop culture idioms. For this collaboration, the designer tapped into the beauty and myth of ‘The Evil Eye’; a legend believed to be cast by a malevolent glare usually given to a person when they are unaware. The artist recreated a bespoke eye which guards against this maleficent spell. Her bespoke carpet All Eyes pays homage to antique carpets while adding a modern, striking touch.
Roula Salamoun
Roula Salamoun designed the STRATA carpets which tell the story of the multilayers of urban living. The architect noted inspiration during her visit to Kathmandu in Nepal, accompanied by the Maktabis on a discovery trip. The carpets recall the architecture, landscape, rooftops, temples and steps which intertwine with lush greenery. The vibrant colours of the city along with the intimate relationship the people share with their city moved the artist to replicate these elements in her carpet designs.
STRATA serves as an allegory of the carpet-making industry, wherein the weavers, designers and product are all intertwined. The carpet acts as a bridge, linking the body, space and objects together.
Gregory Gatserelia
Architect and interior decorator Gregory Gatserelia designed The Odyssey collection. Inspired by the 1968 film A Space Odyssey, these limited-edition carpets are abstract representations of the mystical universe. The Odyssey collection comprises four designs: Scene 1 to 4. The carpet is made of a rich mix of Tibetan wool and silk with bold colours, rich textures and shape-shifting patterns spread across the surface of each carpet.
David/Nicolas
Lebanese design duo David/Nicolas were captivated by the textures and simplistic elegance of antique Ziegler and Agra carpets. This inspired the creation of the Orientations carpet collection. The carpet features hand-carded wool with three dimensional figures, typically found in Oriental carpets. The duo’s design language is reminiscent of constellations in the night sky. With the Orientations carpet, a simple gaze will direct you North, South, East or West. The carpets are a combination of ancient, contemporary and futuristic elements woven into a timeless aesthetic.
Three interpretations of All Eyes by Nadine Kanso were revealed during Dubai Design Week. Roula Salamoun’s STRATA carpets along with David/Nicolas’ Orientations collection are set to be unveiled at Nomad St. Moritz in 2021.
From the Winter 2020 issue of Harper’s Bazaar Interiors, The Art Issue
Photography by Aasiya Jagadeesh
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