At The Rug Show New York, last September, Toronto-based rug brand Creative Matters held a new series of Art Days workshops, in collaboration with COVER.
The initiative was CEU accredited for interior designers and offered participating designers, visitors and students the chance to design their own rug, which is then going to be transformed into a carpet by the promoting company. Two rugs will be made, one to go to the designer and the other will be raffled with the proceeds going to the fairtrade NGO, Label STEP.
The winner of this first edition of the prize was announced today, Monday 16 October, as designer Amanda Tonelli, with a piece called Structure.
Amanda Tonelli’s artwork that inspired the rug design
Talking about her work, Tonelli explained that “Structure takes inspiration from the industrial aspects of New York City. Living in Chelsea, with its recent developments and infrastructure projects. I find there is a constant observation between man and nature,” continued the designer. “The angular, linear components of this rug are influenced from scaffolding and the desire for the city’s expansion upwards. The curved, organic elements of this design draw inspiration from nature and the atmosphere surrounding these building projects. My work often embraces the juxtaposition between both organic and structured components as a reaction to man versus nature.”
Amanda Tonelli’s final rug design
Runner up to the prize is Joely Singer-Aguanno, with her design Morpho, which she describes as “inspired by the artistic expression of movement.” For the young designer, “the portrayal of movement is achieved by combining an experimental artwork that was created using water and dye techniques and an abstract illustration of a butterfly. The abstracted shapes that formed when simplifying the the experimental artwork give the design an extremely graphic sense of fluidity. The contrasting blues and the subtle implication of a butterfly create a unique design that would add a touch of whimsy to any room.”
Joely Singer-Aguanno’s Morpho design
