Alexandra Kehayoglou’s work is not necessarily focused on fashion as such. Her work takes on an entire different look and feel to the usual (art). It is in light of this that Dries Van Noten approached her to create a carpet for his catwalk at the Paris Fashion Week in 2015. It was a showcase of how art, textile, and fashion could come together and create a memorable display. The work was memorable as it gave essence to the fashion on display as well as the concept that Van Noten wished to convey (see Figure 1). The carpet was a remarkable creation as it was elaborately woven creating the effect of a walkway filled with moss. It was an amazing collaboration between fashion, design, art, and the reflection on sustainability as well. This is only one of the many works that Kehayoglou created. It was the one creation, though, that made others aware of her work. Her portfolio of carpets, with its incredible undulated pile, is seen in her love for the material she uses, and the beautiful use of color. Her work is directed at sustainability as well, as her intentions are to comment on the loss of precious land and resources through consumerism. This is clear, and evident in her in her work – that she wishes to bring across the message of “saving” the earth, but more so to sustain its existence. Thus, it would be interesting to discuss some of her history – her background - as this is the essence of how she came to create the works. Her other work, apart from the exposure she had with Van Noten, is as powerful. One could include in the discussion here, the processes she uses in completing a piece, as well as the application of some of the various pieces – that is, the use of form and function.
As a background to her work, it is important to not that Alexandra Kehayoglou was born in Argentina into a “carpet making dynasty.” This is the main reason why carpet making is in her veins, and the reason why she has a passion for the craft as an art form too. She is from Greek decent, and this is where the ancestral style of the Osman-styled carpet weaving or knotting came about. However, Kehayoglou takes this a step further in what is seen in the carpets she creates – especially the long tufts, interspersed with shorter ones to create the scenery following her concept. The family landed up in Argentina in 1920 carrying with them only the looms that were instrumental in building their carpet dynasty. This is where the family built the largest carpet company – in South America – called El Espartano. Kehayoglou’s skills are based on four generations of carpet making. However, she has taken the making, and weaving of carpets to another level, and has established her own style, use of material, and colors. She has developed the ability to create artwork that could also be functional. She makes use of her acquired skills as a weaver and as an artist (having graduated from art school), to come up with solutions for spaces such as with the Van Noten catwalk. Most of the works she creates are from scrap materials from her family carpet factory, which creates the interaction with sustainability. The company has its own sustainability policy that revolves around the use of natural products. That is, the pure wool they use, are directly from the sheep in the immediate surroundings.
Her work is in general an interpretation of the world around her, in particular, the pastures, meadows, streams, and landscapes of her native country, Argentina. The carpets that she weaves are not only functional (as mentioned before), but it creates the illusion of a sustainable environment within any home. This means that, because Kehayoglou uses scrap materials, much of the environment is safe from any of the scrap material that would have been discarded. As said already, the products are natural, and if discarded, it would be biodegradable. Her use of the discarded materials makes what she does sustainable as well as the fact that she has created her own economic sustainability. It is also an excellent way for her to make use of colors – in terms of the wool – that are often retired in favor of what is popular now. This is, in essence, what makes her carpets unique – in color, texture, and in an unrepeatable creation (especially in terms of the color). It is also unique in that in some creations the carpet evolves form a tapestry against the wall – down to the floor (see Figure 2). This one in particular captures the memories of her childhood, as it is also aptly titled: Shelter for a Memory. Her carpet work is mostly a mix of the landscape color she chooses to represent, which often include pathways, water sources and more. She has a wide color palette, as the company continues to create different color mixes all the time. This allows her to use almost any color, from pure white (as in Figure 3) or a mix of various greens as seen in Figure 4. The white is possibly a representation of the snowy or glacial areas of Argentina, and the representation of rock faces too as seen in Figure 5. The importance of her work is that she creates the carpets at small scale (not to scale), yet representing the actual landscapes she wishes to create, even though these are abstractions. One thing that needs to be mentioned is that, by watching her work, and looking at the completed works, it is also a very tactile, and an involved way of working (see Figure 3). Furthermore, she insists on working with green mostly as a statement to the destruction of the earth. Her rugs also comment on this major aspect in the world: sustainability. Thus, as she said: “I live in a green bubble. I feel I have a purpose, which is to weave more greenery, as a reaction to the gradual disappearance of our natural world. I’m flying the flag for mother Earth. I keep weaving to raise awareness, to encourage others to love it as well.”
Pools, and various types of grass tufts come to life in the hands of the artist-carpet maker (see Figure 6). Furthermore, her works are influenced and inspired by various ideas, specifically nature scenes. Her inspiration is, however, gathered from al over, wherever her interactions are. As she says herself: “The things that inspire me are the factory on weekends, walks through my childhood garden with my son, road trips, when the day turns into night, aerial views, textile machinery, the sea, the beach, my family, my grandmother, natural textures.” The Van Noten catwalk is again an excellent example to use (see Figure 1). It is an excellent example of Alexandra Kehayoglou’s work, and the lighting that was added to the creation, completed the magical scenes Van Noten envisaged (see Figure 7). Van Noten wanted to use A Midsummer Night’s Dream as his concept, but found it a challenge to use real moss in the “scenes” (on the catwalk). Hence, when he saw Kehayoglou’s work, he immediately knew that he could use the concept for the catwalk. Another concept or idea one could look at is called Water Spring (see Figure 8). The concept here is simple – based around nature as all her other work – yet as intriguing as most of the work she weaves. The outcomes of the work she does, is an almost realistic, natural landscape. One could use the term realistic, as this is what the carpets bring across in the subconscious, even though it is more of an abstraction of the real landscapes.
It is vital to have a look at the way in which she constructs her pieces. As said before, her background in the carpeting business, gives her ample ways in which to create the carpets, and to make the conceptual aspect much easier. Having had access – and still has access – she has the skill, the materials, as well as the skilled labor to give life to her conceptual ideas; to simply go on adventures with her carpet making. As with all artworks, the artist would have to start with, a concept that, in this instance, Kehayoglou’s bases her work on the natural environments she lived in, and that surrounded her (as already mentioned). The next step is to plan the materials as well as the technology and best methods to be used. This is a given in terms of the fact that Kehayoglou has intimate knowledge of her materials. Her background in carpeting gives her a head start in terms of the various ways of creating her projects. Before the Van Noten catwalk, her projects were not as massive. However, they are as textured and lush, as the carpets her family makes. The difference is that these carpets are more representative of a particular concept – landscapes. An excellent example of the mix of form and function can be seen in Figure 9. She has created many different natural environments, and has given them categories such as “Pastizales (Pasture), Refugios (Shelters) and Tapices (Tapestry).” In Figure 9, one can see an excellent example of the category Tapices as it flows into the carpet as well (perhaps the Pastizales).
The method she employs mostly, for creating her carpets, is hand-tufting. The hand-tufting is particular useful when she creates smaller carpets. This intimate experience brings her close to the product as well as down to earth with it. See Figure 3 for the way in which she creates the final product – that is, after the conceptual stages. Even though it is an intimate experience, there are times, such as with the Van Noten catwalk, that she would employ assistants to help her complete the work. The assistants would have to have the necessary skills. It would be apt to assume that she would use people from her family factory, as her studio is right next to the factory. This can be seen in Figure 10. She uses El Espartano’s discarded, rejected, and retired materials as the prime medium for her work. The base material is the weft through which she manipulates the threads into the various grass tufts, and various other natural vegetation and scenery. According to Bell, she uses “a pistol to manipulate the threads into the point by point weft that breeds the final piece.” This “pistol” is a specialized hand tufting gun used for making carpets. The one she uses is electrical, and makes the work far easier, yet it still needs a lot of intimate attention to complete the concept in the way she envisages it (see Figure 11. This is a long an arduous process, be complex, and can take several months, especially in terms of expressing the concept, as this is not a straightforward, and pre-determined pattern. This is especially so, if the product has a particular concept. This would not be presented as tufts and would, therefore, be the woven part of the carpet or she would cut the tufts shorter with a scissors to create the undulation in the creation. See Figure 11a for the way in which the work was done for the Van Noten catwalk. Her work could perhaps be seen as a kind of performance art, as she said: “Being touched, walked on and dirtied brings the works to life.” This indicates that her works could also be seen as installations, and especially ones that people could react to – that is, to walk on and sit on (see Figure 12). Most of the smaller carpets are completed on the floor in her studio, whereas the larger works are placed on upright looms as can be seem in in Figure 11b.
The discussion centered around the way in which Alexandra Kehayoglou’s work incorporated textile, fashion and sustainability. She created a large catwalk for Dries Van Noten for his 2015 New York Fashion Spring collection. This was an incredible venture and a highly successful one, and clearly showed the interaction between fashion, textile, and sustainability, as the concept included the lush pastures, and landscapes for which Kehayoglou is now famous. The large carpet was created in Kehayoglou’s studio and transported to Paris where it was installed. Most of her carpets are created in her studio, which is situated right next to the El Espartano’s factory. This makes it easy for her to access discarded materials as wells as the materials for the weft of the carpet. These materials create a sustainable cycle as the natural wool is obtained from the sheep on the nearby farms, and Kehayoglou uses it for her creations. Her carpets are not exactly traditional in the form of what her ancestors created. Yet, it can be of practical use as a carpet, but also as an artwork in any home. As mentioned in the discussion, her work also incorporates tapestries that are linked to the carpets. This creates an installation effect in the home or wherever Kehayoglou exhibits her work. In her own words, she mentioned that the carpets are “being touched, walked on and dirtied.” In this regard, the making of the carpet becomes, in a sense, a performance piece as well. This discussion has shone the light on a “new” type of art, as Kehayoglou does not wish her work to be clumped with the term contemporary art.
BIBLOGRAPHY
Catwalk carpet: Alexandra Kehayoglou weaves together art and fashion for Dries Van Noten's
S/S 2015 showscape | Fashion | Wallpaper* Magazine (no date) Wallpaper*. Available at: http://www.wallpaper.com/fashion/catwalk-carpet-alexandra-kehayoglou-weaves-together-art-and-fashion-for-dries-van-notens-ss-2015-showscape (Accessed: July 14, 2016).
Matus, Morgan A. (no date) Amazing landscape carpets transform your living room into a lush,
grassy meadow, Inhabitat Green Design Innovation Architecture Green Building. Available at: http://inhabitat.com/alexandra-kehayoglou-crafts-lush-grassy-carpets-inspired-by-the-pasturelands-of-argentina/ (Accessed: July 14, 2016).
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http://somethingaboutmagazine.com/alexandra-kehayoglou-contemporary-weaving/ (Accessed: July 14, 2016).
Mitchell, K. (2016) Textured Wool Rugs Bring the Natural Pastures of Argentinian Landscapes
Indoors, My Modern Met. Available at:
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Bell, V. (2016). Alexandra Kehayoglou: The Rug Maker Who Creates Magical Worlds out of
Threads, Taboo of Art. Available at: https://taboofart.com/2016/01/16/alexandra-kehayoglou-the-rug-maker-who-creates-magical-worlds-out-of-threads/ (Accessed: July 15, 2016).
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Figures
Figure 1: Belgian designer Dries Van Noten's S/S 2015 show was set against a magical, mossy landscape rendered in wooly clumps by Buenos Aires-based artist Alexandra Kehayoglou.
Photography: Camilla Alibrandi courtesy of Villa Eugenie
http://www.wallpaper.com/fashion/catwalk-carpet-alexandra-kehayoglou-weaves-together-art-and-fashion-for-dries-van-notens-ss-2015-showscape#EooI7wMdZbJLsEsX.99
Figure 2: http://www.boredpanda.com/wool-carpet-forest-moss-alexandra-kehayoglou/
Figure 3: http://emilianogranado.com/projects/alexandra-kehayoglou/
Figure 4: http://www.boredpanda.com/wool-carpet-forest-moss-alexandra-kehayoglou/
Figure 5: http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/alexandra-kehayoglou-pasture-rugs?context=tag-alexandra+kehayoglou
Figure 6: http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/alexandra-kehayoglou-pasture-rugs?context=tag-alexandra+kehayoglou
Figure 7: Dries Van Noten Catwalk
http://www.joyce.com/fashion-article/spring-summer-2015-round-up-part-2-true-romance/
Figure 8: Water Spring
http://alexkeha.com/
Figure 9: http://www.boredpanda.com/wool-carpet-forest-moss-alexandra-kehayoglou/
Figure 10: Alexandra Kehayoglou at work in her studio
http://emilianogranado.com/projects/alexandra-kehayoglou/
Figure 11a: At work on the Van Noten catwalk
http://www.bkrw.com/dries-van-noten-a-carpet-buenos-aires-to-paris/
Figure 11b: The scale of the carpet
http://www.bkrw.com/dries-van-noten-a-carpet-buenos-aires-to-paris/
