Umai Alfombra by Marina Begman is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2020 A' Design Award de Plata in Diseño de Mobiliario Competition Category.

PlataMobiliario· 2020

Umai Alfombra

by Marina Begman

Client: Marina Begman

A' Design Award de Plata Winner in Mobiliario Category

38,702

Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #102374

View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Umai Alfombra

Fabricada con una técnica nómada antigua, protegida por la Lista del Patrimonio Cultural Inmaterial que necesita una custodia urgente de la UNESCO, esta alfombra saca lo mejor de la lana gracias a los tonos degradados de lana y las finas costuras a mano que crean una textura volumétrica. Hecho 100% a mano, esta alfombra está hecha con tonos naturales de lana más un tono amarillento teñido con cáscara de cebolla. Un hilo dorado que atraviesa alfombra hace una declaración y recuerda el cabello que fluye libremente en el viento - cabello de la diosa nómada Umay - protectora de mujeres y niños.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award de Plata

Umai Alfombra ha ganado el A' Design Award de Plata, un reconocimiento extraordinariamente prestigioso concedido a diseños de gama alta, magníficos e impresionantes. Los ganadores de Plata son obras tremendamente brillantes y sumamente creativas que ilustran la destacada experiencia, el talento y la agudeza de sus diseñadores. Se espera que Umai Alfombra sea una obra maravillosa y emblemática, notablemente profesional y profundamente innovadora. Este diseño ganador del A' Design Award de Plata es una invención muy notable y admirada que beneficia y hace avanzar las fronteras del arte, la ciencia, el diseño y la tecnología. Umai Alfombra es una creación enormemente envidiada que evoca deseos, aporta sentimientos positivos y despierta asombro y admiración.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: One hundred percent natural sheep wool hand-felted and hand-stitched, dyed with herbs. Wool texture comes out beautifully through natural color combination and detailed stitching. Using an ancient and rare nomadic technique of rug making, included in UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safekeeping, the best of natural material is brought out, making it state of the art rug or wall decoration for modern home
Dimensions & Packaging: 3000 mm x 2000 mm x 15 mm
Tags: felt, wool, handmade rug, shyrdak
Production Technology: Creating Hair of Umay is a complex endeavour, following ancient techniques of shyrdak making and research of central asian legends included interviewing the elder women artisans in Naryn. Wool, the primary material, is sheared from sheep in the spring. It is then washed, dried, coloured, and pressed into sheets. The sheets are cut into beautiful patterns and hand stitched together. These patterns are quilted onto a large piece of plain wool base, creating a soft, thick, high-quality carpet.
Design Challenge: The rug is fully hand-stitched, cannot be imitated by a sewing machine. It takes one experienced woman-artisan 3 days to stitch one m2. It takes 6 sheep to make one rug of 3m by 2m size. The whole process is hand-made and very labor intensive.
Research: First, the technique itself was researched. Secondly, the ancient legends of central asian nomads were learned.The technique research included academic research about shyrdak making, traveling to Kyrgyzstan to remote mountainous region Naryn, where this technique is still kept by elder women, interviewing them, as well as participating in shyrdak making to experience and understanding the technique firsthand.
The research of nomadic legends included reading central asian literature and interviewing a university professor on Kyrgyz literature and history.
Inspiration: Inspired by a legend of Turkic and Mongolian people, about ancient goddess Umai - a benevolent spirit, the patroness of children and women. The mother goddess was depicted with golden hair, with a comb-shaped hairstyle. The rug drawing is depicting her loose hair in the wind
Project Duration: A custom rug takes two months to make including delivery. Workshop is located in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
Operation Flow: It is a piece of art that could decorate your floor or wall.
Also helps with acoustics to limit noise pollution. It retains warmth when it is cold, and keeps a space cool when it is hot. It's antibacterial, and doesn't absorb odours.
Team Members: Aliya Rakhman
Image Credits: Image #1: Photographer Dias Nurmagambetov, Variations, 2020
Image #2: Photographer Dias Nurmagambetov, Variations, 2020
Image #3: Photographer Dias Nurmagambetov, Variations, 2020
Image #4: Photographer Dias Nurmagambetov, Variations, 2020
Image #5: Photographer Dias Nurmagambetov, Variations, 2020