Life is never monotonous with We Make Carpets and their consumer creations

Dutch trio Marcia Nolte, Stijn van der Vleuten and Bob Waardenburg are the force behind We Make Carpets. The innovative carpet creators mix traditional skills and offer a critical view of the consumer society in unusual carpets, exploring and pushing the boundaries of traditional floor coverings.

According to the founders: “We try to find products that are aesthetically so downgraded in the eye of the consumers that they are rarely seen a beautiful. When we arrange them in large numbers on the ground, in the shape of a carpet, we hope that the viewers’ eye looks at them as something new and beautiful. You must realise that society demands these products but almost never evaluates them. We need to bring them again to the attention of the critical eye”

 

 

The collective fabricate various interpretations of the century old medium of rug making. The weaving method, use of materials and patterns reflect the 21st century, and from a distance a decorative carpet is perceived  There is a surprise upon closer inspection as everyday items are used to create these patterns, arranged as building blocks for each work. This could be seen as contemporary ‘weaving’ of materials, arranged to form graphic patterns using products that normally have no value once they have been used such as plastic forks, pasta, chocolate and even soldier figurines. The makers are inspired by the colour, shape and possibilities of the materials chosen.

The result is not just a decorative carpet, but an object that makes us consider ourselves as a consumer society that produces these materials in the masses where so much goes to waste.

 

In 2013 the team are looking develop their carpets into more permanent works in public spaces, and researching ways to insert their principle of using consumer items into real carpets, and to continue triggering the most elemental things regarding art and design. The products and aesthetics speak for themselves – people may approach it as a carpet design but leave thinking it is art.