Feb 22, 2013

Carpet of Life

Made in Morocco

Remember how Craftscurator 'killed her darlings' and cut up her precious textiles? The women of the Taragalte project in the Moroccan Sahara have made a beautiful carpet out of it. A story on how to preserve crafts, create opportunities and enchant consumers.

When the designers of Butterfly Works Studio first visited the Moroccan Sahara, they were struck by the beauty of the desert and the traditional handmade products. They set out to create opportunities for the women in the area, and discovered they were skilled in making 'boucherouites'; hand knotted carpets. The complex patterns pictured stories of everyday life in the desert. Unfortunately, most women were not making carpets, due to a lack of raw material and demand for their products. Being a co-creation agency, Butterfly Works knew how to proceed working with these women. They created the Carpet of Life concept by understanding consumers love products with stories attached, and want to engage in making those stories. The women of the Taragalte project are now busy making carpets out of the most precious raw materials ever; fabrics holding memories and value. Consumers are invited to co-create by sending their most precious textiles, and receive a unique carpet after a couple of weeks. The craftswomen from M'Hamid now provide for their families by making carpets in a traditional way. A beautiful story.

Craftscurator loves her unique carpet, made of the cut-up pieces of her graduation project. Check out the textiles she sent to Morocco.

Co-create your own Carpet of Life!  Founded by Butterfly Works.

 
 
Craftscurator's Carpet Of Life
Photo by Pam Kat, Styling Sander van Eyk
Precious textiles cut into strips
'Oh, look there's my blouse!'
Skilled craftswomen
of the Taragalte project
Craftscurator's Carpet
In the making
Finished Carpet
Photo by Pam Kat, Styling Sander van Eyk