FOR the FLOOR for the Floor an International Exhibition of Co Ntemporary Handmade Rugs
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FOR THE FLOOR FOR THE flOOR An International Exhibition of Co ntemporary Handmade Rugs January 25, 1985-May 11 , 1985 American Craft Museum II International Paper Pl aza 77 West 45th Street New York , New York 10036 American Craft Museum II is sponsored by International Paper Company and International Paper Company Foundation , New York --------------------------------------------------~ Although handmade rugs have had a long histo ri cal tradition, the fi ber arts emerging after World War II in Am eri ca moved away from the floor, focusing primarilyo n two-dim ensional wall pi eces, sculpture, and such specialized areas as perso nal adornment. FOR THE FLOOR draws renewed attention to the art of rugmaking, through present- ing the most innovative co ntemporary rug designs from Ameri ca and abroad. It is the purpose of this exhibi tion to reexamine the world at our feet and to reassess the creati vity and the wealth of deco rat ive tradi tions found in pieces made for the fl oor. The exhibition was assembled by soli citing slides nationall y for the American rugs, and by inv iting foreign artists recommended by cura tors and scholars in each country. Criteria used for the selection of the rugs included that they be handmade and constructed to endure wear on the fl oor. It was also essential that the pieces be designed for the fl oor. While many of these rugs wo uld be effective as wall hang ings, it was im po rtant that their design convey a spatial progression that wo rked when viewed horizontall y. Finall y, it shoul d be noted that, with few exceptions, each piece was designed and made by the artist. The exhibition presents a wide range of co ncepts. While the fa vored format is rectangul ar, and the materi al wool, creative devia tions in the use of color, shape and texture do appear, suggest ing that the same vitality found elsewhere in the fi ber arts appears underfoot as well . FOR THE FLOOR is in tended not onl y to celebrate this crea tivit y, but also to stimulate further interest in this important subj ect. We wish to thank the foll ow ing peo pl e for their assistance in the re search of FOR THE FLOOR: Jane Burns, Crafts Co uncil of Australia; Shigeki Fukunaga, National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, Japan; Kuniko Lucy Kato, Japan; Piiikki Priha, Finland ; Rebecca A. T. Stevens, The Text il e Mu seum , Washington, D. C.; Ralph Turner, British Craft s Coun cil ; John Vedel-Reiper, Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts; Kerst in Wickman, Swedi sh Society of Craft and Design; and Nell Znami erowski , rug designer and teacher. For their grant for ini tial research and for general operat ing funds, we thank the New York State Co uncil on the Arts. We are grateful to International Paper Co mpany and Internati onal Paper Co mpany Foun dati on for the continued support which makes Museum II possibl e. Paul J. Smi th, Director 2 THE WORLD AT OUR FEET Akiko Busch The landscapes of primitive rugs often bordered a spiritual terrain, As one critic notes, "Many hooked rugs have the virtues of primitive whether the remote desert horizons suggested by the bands of a painting: uninhibited designs and perspectives, bold and unconven Navajo rug, or the lush gardens represented in the flora of a Persian tional use of color, and inventiveness and broad artistic license when piece. Their images evoked a view of the natural world and man's attempting complex or detailed subjects." I place in it, first pictorializing belief, then laying it at man's feet. The When metal stencils for standard.ized patterns became available, the rhythm and repetition practiced in weaving and knotting was often a popularized craft of hand-loomed and -hooked rugs developed as a cot spiritual exercise that further reinforced these beliefs. tage industry. But by this time the pieces were often considered to be Contemporary floor pieces may not convey as potent a spir.itual mes valued personal possessions more than mere household commodities. sage, yet they continue to embody the wealth of this decorative tradi Their status as preferred flooring had been usurped by industrial tion . Like their predecessors they are meant to bring first warmth, carpets and linoleum tiles. then color and decoration to the interior. The history of the rug in this During the 1870s, interest in handmade furn.iture, accessories, country began in the mid-eighteenth century. Until then, the floors in ceramics, and handwoven tapestries and rugs was given new energy most homes remained bare because textiles were valued too highly to by the Arts and Crafts movement. Founded in England by William be lightly- or heavily- stepped upon. The term "rugg" referred to the Morris as a response to the onset of industrialism, the movement advo bedrug, wh.ich was used to cover the bed and other pieces of furniture, cated the values of handmade objects in an increasingly mechan.ized rather than the floor, for both warmth and decoration. The floor pieces society. And forty years later, the Bauhaus eth.ic, as outlined by Walter in greatest evidence were painted sailcloths, less durable than they Gropius, continued to advocate Morris's tradition of honoring the were decorative. By the end of the eighteenth century, however, Ori handmade object. ental rugs and carpets were being imported to America; to protect Still , the Bauhaus approach to textile design demanded that weav them, smaller rugs were sewn with a two-ply yarn on a base of home ing be a utilitarian affair; that it consider drape and stability, and that spun linen. Shirred rugs, made of the bits of cloth samples that were it look to new materials and techn.iques in an effort simply to be more more readil y available than yarn, swiftly followed, as did woven rag useful and easier to manufacture. Although Bauhaus advocates valued carpets and braided rugs-all of which were soon used as hearth rugs and encouraged handcrafts, textiles were designed to function archi as well. tecturally: the emphasis was on materials and construction. The in By 1850, rug making had beco me both an established craft and a dustrial ethic persisted and textiles were designed as models for rich decorative tradition for the floor. The popular motifs were picto industry. For this reason, their most apparent aesthetic was one that rial, often patriotic: ships, houses, eagles, and various animals all con stressed structure and pattern. The machine aesthetic of geometry tributed to their early narrative. The craft of hooking rugs, in which and pattern constituted an effort to legitimize crafts in an industrial cloth strips were pulled through a burlap base, was also conceived and world. Its common denominator was uniformity. developed at this time. These rugs tended to be commemorative or After World War II, the approach to crafts in America shifted radi ceremonial , honoring a certain date or event. Again, animals and cally. The G.!. bill, established for veterans, nurtured crafts education, people, flowers and houses were all common motifs, as was geometric and the fiber arts were introduced to the university curriculum , where patterning. they were taught in a more academic, systematic way. Emphasis shifted As the appeal of the hooked rug grew, so did the number of people away from production work and industry prototypes to more creative, participating in the craft. Once the design had been drawn on the bur interpretive pieces. lap, it could be executed easily by more than one person. Often entire Since this turning point in the American craft movement, fiber art families participated in hooking, contributing in creasingl y inventive ists have carried out a creative search. As crafts were approached with patterns and designs. Both natural and synthetic dyes were used to a greater sense of invention and interpretation, textile design became execute these pieces. The imaginative use of color and design found less two-dimensional. Trad.itional flat weaving and yardage gave way in the early hooked rug reflected the fact that it was frequently the to experimental constructions in knotting, knitting, applique, and single mode of creative expression available to women and children. later, felting and papermaking. They were constructions often three dimensional , sculptural, monumental. And when it did remain two- 3 -------------------J dim ensional , weaving was pain terly; color and texture were used Although the imagery used in many of these pieces is clearl y co n with less reserve, and co mposition was oft en a statement of personal temporary, the materials used to express them tend to be more expression. co nventional. That is to say, nat ural fib ers are strongly favored over The diversity and imagination of the fiber arts, then , have been in synthetic. Rayon or Dacron fibers are occasionall y used, but wool, cot their visual phenomenon ; they are visual provocations, meant to be ton , and linen are mu ch preferred, and the appli cation of industrial looked at rather than used. Fiber arts have co me off the loo m, off the material s that has changed the texture-both li terall y and fi guratively floor and wall , and are often sculptural objects in themselves. The -of so many of the other fib er arts seems to be largely absent. Most fun ctional specifi cations of the rug prevented it from enjoying the con of these rugs also foll ow the traditional rectangular format , although stant experimentation occurring elsewhere. And as a result , it re so me do play with exterior shape. Woven rugs have traditionally paid ceived li ttle critical attention.