on a client visit
taking a shortcut to the hills again
i swung by an emporium on a quiet back street
and having a minute or two to spare
popped in to have a look about
i found this extraordinary treasure
a Union Jack
stitched together from carpet pieces
and not just any old carpet
they were pieces of Afghan treasure
so far as i could tell
i was mightily intrigued by this, so i had a little google-rummage
and came up with some interesting links
here and here
it's a lovely piece but somehow i can't imagine chopping up perfectly beautiful rugs in order to piece a flag...
ummmm! as a brit, i'm sure what i feel about our flag being made from 'afgan treasure'... if it upcycled - taking the best bits from worn-out rugs - that's ok... but if not, oh my...
ReplyDeletethanks for sharing :)
ummmm all sorts of 'interesting' connotations in that (oh boy!)on a purely aesthetic level - its really a fab bit of work don't you think (damn it but isn't the union jack a marvelous design)
ReplyDeleteamazing and recycling, so interesting yes. But I wonder if they really are repurposed or maybe designed to be a topically 'recycled' item for the european market, esp in this our Olympic year?
ReplyDeleteMaybe next theyll become flags of whichever country next hosts the olympics?
And gosh! What prices lol
I saw lots of 'upcycled' rugs at Maison et Objet this year, perhaps something of a trend. Many of them were over-dyed with some really lurid colours, so I hate to think of the environmental impact of that. A few however were not over-dyed and had a lovely faded grandeur, and seemed to have all the wonderful qualities of patchwork tradition, i.e. recycling, tradition and a narrative of time and place.
ReplyDeleteArt is so subjective... I think this is such a literal representation of the Union Jack that it misses the mark. It's a lovely iconic image and certainly well executed, but it looks like it should be up on a flagpole.
ReplyDeleteIf you haven't seen Sara Rahbar's work, check it out. http://www.sararahbar.com/ Visually, I love her combinations of materials and fabrics. However, she turns flags into a political statement which makes them quite controversial.
thank you for drawing my attention to Sara Rahbar's work!
DeleteYou are very welcome!
DeleteI think it's a great political statment- the glory of an empire built from the ruin of other cultures... on the other hand, it's also a smashing bit of wall decor. You could easily make one from any red/white/blue or pink/cream/purple, black/grey/grey... whatever colour. The shape of the design is so recognisable the colours no longer matter. I've been planning one for awhile- then I visited the Ballarat art gallery, saw the Eureka flag...and now I'm building one of those as well! Can we say too many projects...
ReplyDelete