PUZZLE COLLECTION

Object: Rugs, 2015, Unique Editions
Description: 100% wool | Dimensions: 150 x 200cm

PUZZLE is a collection of 3 unique editions of handmade 100% wool rugs woven in Afghanistan. Designed by Khalid Shafar and woven in collaboration with FBMI (Fatima Bint Mohamed Bin Zayed Initiative); a social initiative dedicated to provide women in Afghanistan with employment and to offer them and their families critical social services in healthcare and education.
The collection is an adaption of the KHALID SHAFAR signature pattern woven in the Afghani Chapat weaving style. The collection’s puzzle design was inspired by the pattern itself. It allows the joining of any 2 rugs of the collection or all 3 together forming a larger single piece.
To further highlight the collaboration beyond the making by FBMI, specific parts of the pattern in each rug were left as a blank canvas for the Afghani women weavers/artisans to contribute their own design using Afghani. The Afghani pattern they chose is a variation of the Mauri Gul motif that originates from the western province of Herat and is typically woven by nomads. There are many interpretations of the motif but the most widely accepted relates to the return of the nomads to the start point of their travels, hence the circular pattern.