Mythology and lore of creation
Rug weaving is deeply tied to Iranian culture, history, and art. Nomadic and tribal weavings have their own unique history and traditions and carry significant information and stories about their creators. They contain meaningful symbols, beliefs taken from myths and folklore that were handed down from one generation to the next. Not only were the motifs regarded as powerful, but also the belief in the act of tying knots to manifest desires made hand-knotted weavings incredibly strong talismans that served an important purpose in the lives of the nomadic tribes.
Phase 1 : Research
Over the course of ten months in 2018 and 2019, I traveled and researched in major cities throughout Iran where rug production has been the main source of income for majority of nomadic tribes and tribal villagers.
I spent time with close to 80 weavers, women from very humble backgrounds, discussing how and when they began weaving, what impact weaving has had on their lives and how they regard it as artisans. They shared their memories from childhood, as young women and later as wives who would use this craft to support their large families.
Phase 2 : Revive
After an exhaustive search for zehni bafs - artisans who weave from memory - we chose four weavers to collaborate with. Each weaver decided on a memory they deemed personally significant for their piece. I shared my research of the history of symbols and traditional designs within each weaver’s tribe. Majority of weavers no longer hold the knowledge behind the origin and meaning of the motifs that they weave. Over generations, the meanings have been lost or in many cases, new names and new usage has been assigned.
Phase 3 : Restore
An important outcome of Anamnesis is to not only give the weavers support and new information to work on a personal project, but to also reinstate the weavers as creators. Currently, they are only recognized as hands producing a product and most are severely underpaid for their time and expertise. Their generational knowledge is regarded as disposable and the importance of giving them agency is not a factor in how they are treated or compensated.