Flying Carpet
Exhibition within the framework
of the 5th International Symposium on Azerbaijani Carpet
From October 18, 2017 till January
15, 2018, the Azerbaijan Carpet Museum will hold the exhibition “Flying Carpet” within the framework of the 5th International
Symposium on Azerbaijani Carpet. The event is organised by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Azerbaijan,
the Azerbaijan Carpet Museum and the Azerbaijan State Academy of Fine Arts in collaboration with the University of Applied
Arts Vienna. The financial support was provided by the Azerbaijan Cultural Center in Austria as well as the University of
Applied Arts Vienna.
The exhibition “Flying Carpet” is the final part of the project “Crossing”, the purpose of which
is to create the connection between the Azerbaijani and Austrian contemporary art, to strengthen the intercultural dialogue
between peoples and exchange experiences. The project curator is Shirin Melikova, Director of the Azerbaijan Carpet Museum.
The project’s art advisor from the Austrian side is Barbara Graf, an artist and lecturer at the University of Applied Arts
Vienna.
Five students from the Azerbaijan State Academy of Fine Arts — Faraj Yusubov, Asmar Yusubova, Firangiz Mejidzade,
Laman Hatamli and Konul Javadova — visited Vienna, and three students from the University of Applied Arts Vienna — Afra Kirchdorfer,
Anka Gaya Nidzgorska, and Eva-Maria Scherl — traveled to Baku. The artists got acquainted with the cultures of both countries
and worked together on the exhibition's concept, based on the symposium theme “Traditions and Innovations.” A partially preserved
19th-century sumakh (flat-woven carpet) lies at the heart of their common experiments.
The essence of the “Crossing”
project reveals the relationship of time to carpet art, and highlights and preserves its traditions. Several designs have
been developed to express this idea. The works are located in two exhibition areas – “Haptic Eye” and “Imagination Cloud.”
The third area demonstrates video materials relating to the development of the exhibition idea and the process of the artworks’
creation.
“Haptic Eye” is an installation made by laser-cut Plexiglas. Its elements are in the shape of carpet ornaments.
The interplay between light and the projector creates a shift in the accustomed accents of the composition and expands the
scope for the viewer’s imagination.
In “Imagination Cloud”, one can admire silkscreened artworks: There are pillows on
the floor and eight hammocks made of textile cloths, decorated with prints of Azerbaijani carpet patterns and individual compositions.
These suspended hammocks, so similar to flying carpets, gave the exhibition its name: “Flying Carpet.” Spectators are invited
to use the pillows and feel their functionality.
As the part of the exhibition, there will be organised workshops on
textile decoration for all interested visitors.
The project organizers express their gratitude to the artist and lecturer
Tatia Skhirtladze and to Barbara Putz-Plecko, Dean of the Department of Textiles - Free, Applied, and Experimental Artistic
Design at the University of Applied Arts Vienna.
“Crossing” is intended to be an important step in establishing relations
between Azerbaijani and Austrian contemporary artists. It is a bridge that spans two cultures, uniting traditions and
innovative creative aspirations through one of the most multifaceted spheres of applied arts.