Village Carpet Weavers
Carpets are an important part of Turkish culture and, in western Turkey, the textile department of Marmara University in Istanbul, has supported a most interesting social and economic project to restore the long tradition of carpet weaving.
Some 500 years ago, the Turkmen tribal people settled in western Turkey, bringing their carpet techniques from central Asia with them.
In the last hundred years, commercial pressure and synthetic dye caused a drastic deterioration in quality.
With the support of the university and the Turkish government, the women were persuaded to return to authentic work, using natural dyes, handspun wool and their own patterns.
A village-based co-operative marketing system, insures the women are well paid and the carpets are a reasonable price.
The result, carpets of astonishing beauty.
The slide show will cover my visits to Turkey in March, 1998 and 1999 to see the schools set up to train weavers and dyers and to give you a glimpse of the rich textile culture that supports it.
No. of Participants: Limited by the size of the room.
Equipment:
Supplies:
Studio Equipment Needed:
Screen and slide projector.
Will need to have access to slide projector carousel at least two hours ahead of time.
Depending on the size of the room and number of attendees, may need a speaker system.
Audio Visual:
Class Length: 2-3 hours.